The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on members of Congress to publicly condemn the reported detention of U.S. Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) by armed Israeli settlers and soldiers during his visit to the illegally-occupied West Bank.
Rep. Khanna wrote on X: “Israeli settlers, brandishing American made M4s, detained me & other Americans on my trip to Palestine. When the IDF arrived, they sided with the settlers & continued our detention. They made a huge mistake.”
“Representative Ro Khanna was barred from leaving for 90 minutes…On Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Khanna, the congressman from Silicon Valley who is exploring a 2028 presidential run, was visiting the ruins of Khirbet Zanuta, a tiny Palestinian Bedouin village in the southern West Bank that was abandoned after escalating attacks from settlers and then demolished.
“Suddenly, a car of men holding guns pulled up and blocked the narrow road out of the village. The men began taunting the congressman and his team, swearing at them in Hebrew and Arabic and kicking the tires of their minibus, according to accounts, photographs and video footage from Mr. Khanna, an aide and his security guard. A photographer for The New York Times traveling in a different vehicle also saw the interaction. Soon, a Jeep with more men arrived.
“When two cars from the Israeli military pulled up, Mr. Khanna assumed the soldiers were there to help him pass. Instead, the soldiers smoked cigarettes, chatted with the men and after the settlers left, moved a car to block the road, he recounted.”
“Every member of Congress should condemn the detention of an American lawmaker by armed Israeli settlers in illegally-occupied territory,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. “If an American elected representative can be stopped, intimidated and prevented from traveling freely, imagine what Palestinians endure every day without the protection of congressional office or international attention. Congress must reject settler violence, oppose Israel’s illegal occupation and annexation policies, and ensure that U.S. taxpayer dollars are not used to facilitate ongoing Israeli human rights abuses.”
He noted that CAIR recently said elected officials should take note of a newly-released national poll showing a significant decline in public support for the Israeli government, particularly among Democratic voters.
Earlier this year, CAIR called on the GOP to listen to its own voters as new polls show that support for the genocidal Israeli government plummeting among young Republicans.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]