US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has rejected claims made by Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., that he was detained by Israeli settlers during a visit to the West Bank. Huckabee stated that the embassy was not informed of Khanna’s visit and would have advised against it if they had been.

Detention Dispute

Khanna visited the West Bank last week, where he claimed to have been aggressively detained by Israeli settlers. However, Huckabee denies this, saying that the embassy did not know about the visit and would have warned Khanna against entering a restricted zone. Khanna responded, stating that the embassy was informed and that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had clarified that the area was not a restricted zone.

Khanna’s visit has been criticized as a publicity stunt, with some accusing him of using the trip to advance his potential presidential campaign. Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, said that Khanna’s visit appeared to be a publicity stunt and that he had not coordinated with Israel or the US embassy.

Response to Criticism

Khanna has faced criticism from fellow Democrat Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., who accused him of ignoring requests to meet with survivors of the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel. Khanna responded, saying that the purpose of his trip was to visit the West Bank and meet with Palestinians.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.