Congressman Khanna Says He Personally Experienced Apartheid as Brown American in West Bank
"I've never felt my race as acutely. You know, I was born in 1976. I grew up in Pennsylvania. Was there a time that someone said, 'Hey, go back to India on a basketball court.' Sure. But by and large in this country, while I'm aware of our history of race, I personally haven't felt it. As soon as I got in to the West Bank, I started to feel it. The first time when I was on the Israeli occupied side of Hebron and I was there with one of my aids, a young guy, Cam Kasy, white Jewish American, Ben Linder, a friend was also Jewish and an Israeli Nadav, a white Israeli and there were the four of us and we were walking and suddenly the guards come up and they don't say anything to the other three people but they single me out and they say, 'Are you the son of Isaac or the son of Ishmael?' meaning am I a Christian or a Muslim and I say I'm a Hindu and they have no idea what that is."
About this episode
Congressman Ro Khanna returned from the occupied West Bank where he was detained for 75 minutes by armed Israeli settlers and IDF soldiers, sparking an international incident with no apparent US government response. In an interview discussing the trip, Khanna revealed that body camera footage released the morning of the interview confirms IDF officers sided with the settlers who blocked his van with M4 rifles, forcing him to call senior US embassy officials to secure release. Prime Minister Netanyahu defended Israel's conduct, calling the settlers involved "juvenile delinquents," but Khanna countered that they are affiliated with Yanan Levy, who allegedly murdered a Palestinian on camera yet remains free. Khanna described personally experiencing racial apartheid for the first time in his life, being singled out at checkpoints while his white Jewish companions were ignored. He criticized Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for lying about accountability and condemned the lack of American government response to the detention of four US citizens. Beyond his own detention, Khanna emphasized he witnessed systematic apartheid against Palestinians, including water deprivation, extrajudicial killings of children, vandalized homes of Palestinian-American millionaires, and destroyed villages. He stated his purpose was to experience a Palestinian-led tour rather than the "curated" Israeli government visits he had done on three prior trips. Khanna suggested Israel is attempting to discourage American politicians from making similar trips and argued that if more Americans witnessed conditions on the ground, support for current policies would collapse. He noted he himself evolved on the issue only after seeing the situation firsthand.
Key takeaways
- Congressman Ro Khanna was detained for 75 minutes by armed Israeli settlers and IDF soldiers in the occupied West Bank, with body camera footage confirming IDF collaboration with the settlers.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed the settlers were juvenile delinquents, but Khanna identified them as affiliated with Yanan Levy, who allegedly murdered a Palestinian on camera but remains free.
- The US administration including the president and vice president made no public statement after four American citizens including a congressman were detained by Israeli forces.
- Khanna described personally experiencing racial profiling and apartheid for the first time in his life, being singled out at Israeli checkpoints while white Jewish companions were ignored.
- Khanna witnessed systematic oppression including Palestinians receiving one-fourth the water of Israeli settlers, a 14-year-old Palestinian-American shot 21 times for throwing rocks, and destroyed villages and schools.
- Israeli government and advocacy groups are attempting to prevent American politicians from taking Palestinian-led tours of the West Bank, preferring curated Israeli government visits.
- Khanna stated he evolved on the genocide question only after witnessing conditions firsthand and believes more American exposure to ground reality would end support for current policies.