Ro Khanna clashes with Fox host over West Bank claim: 'Outrage to any American'

WASHINGTON, DC: Rep Ro Khanna clashed with Fox News host Gillian Turner on Monday, July 13, after using a heated interview to defend his disputed claim that armed Israeli settlers detained his congressional delegation in the West Bank.

Turner repeatedly questioned Khanna's account and whether his team had properly coordinated the trip with Israeli officials. Khanna pushed back, arguing the focus should be on what he said happened to Americans on the ground.

Ro Khanna shifts focus to West Bank detention

The exchange began when Turner asked whether Khanna should have expected to be stopped after entering what she described as a restricted military area guarded by local security forces.

Khanna rejected that characterization, saying it "was not a restricted military area" and noting that "American Congress people had been there before."

Turner replied that previous congressional visits had occurred "with prior coordination."

Before Turner could continue, Khanna interrupted, saying, "If I could just finish, please, because this should be an outrage to any American citizen, what happened."

He then described what he said unfolded during the visit, alleging that armed Israeli settlers surrounded his delegation's van before Israeli military personnel arrived.

Khanna claimed the soldiers "blocked the road … siding with the settlers against the Americans," framing the alleged treatment of his delegation as the central issue rather than questions surrounding the trip's planning.

Israeli military disputes Ro Khanna's account

The Israeli military disputed that version of events.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said troops "were dispatched to the scene, quickly dispersed the Israeli civilians, and reopened the blocked road." It also said its soldiers "did not take part in blocking that road."

Ro Khanna disputes ambassador's coordination claims

Turner also confronted Khanna with comments made Sunday by Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Leiter, who said on CBS's ‘Face the Nation’ that the Israeli Embassy had tried to coordinate the California Democrat's visit.

According to Leiter, he urged Khanna to meet survivors of the October 7, 2023, attack and visit Israel's borders "so he understands the issues that we have on our borders."

"He ignored that," Leiter said, adding that Khanna instead coordinated the trip "with Palestinian activists and with J Street," which he described as "an anti-Israeli government advocacy group here in Washington."

Khanna forcefully rejected that account.

"The ambassador is lying. We did inform him," Khanna told Turner, adding that he has met "many times" with the family of an American hostage as they sought their son's release.