Ro Khanna's tour highlights Israel's public diplomacy challenge

US Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) visited Israel last week, stating his purpose was to understand the situation of Palestinians in the West Bank. Khanna, known for his criticism of Israel's military conduct and opposition to Iron Dome funding, recently co-sponsored an amendment to the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act to cut funding and tech-sharing programs between the US and Israeli militaries, which was blocked. During his visit, Khanna alleged that Israeli settlers and military personnel detained his vehicle for over an hour in Turmus Aiya, stating, "I saw the arrogance in the eyes of those settlers. 21- and 22-year-olds with guns, laughing that they had detained us." The IDF, however, reported that Khanna's guide knowingly entered a closed military area, and troops dispersed settlers who were blocking vehicles. The article criticizes Israel's public diplomacy for not providing an official escort to Khanna, given his known critical stance, suggesting such an escort could have monitored his activities and managed incidents.