“We were at a village that Israeli settlers had destroyed, they had destroyed the school, they had destroyed that village, and we were just looking at it,” said Khanna, a progressive lawmaker from California in the U.S. House of ​Representatives.

“And these hoodlums come in with machine guns – M4, an American-made machine gun – and they detain us. They block off the road. And then they call the IDF and ​the IDF is on their side, not on the side of the Americans,” Khanna said, referring to the Israeli military.

An aide to ⁠Khanna who was in the group, Cameron Kasky, said they were held for more than an hour and made appeals to the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem for help. A group ​of officers who appeared to be police eventually intervened, leading to their release, Kasky said.

  • doben@lemmy.ml
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    5 hours ago

    Here’s more information on his stance, which is quite similar to Bernie’s:

    Khanna distanced himself from extremist elements[1] within the pro-Palestinian movement in his interview with J., saying he has repeatedly defended Israel’s right to exist.

    “I have unequivocally, since Day 1, condemned ‘globalize the intifada,’” he said, referencing a phrase that has dogged New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who has declined to condemn it. “I have never supported BDS,” Khanna added, speaking of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel. Khanna also noted that he voted to condemn the chant “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” in April of last year, parting with 43 other Democrats including progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.[2]

    From the “J. The Jewish News of Northern California” interview, which is only 10 months old, where Khanna reassured his support for the Zionist project on almost every relevant talking point.

    In the abc interview, which is only 2 months old, you can also hear, how he’s not actively working against Israel, he’s merely trying, at least in his rhetoric, to keep American tax payer money in the country, arguing that Israel is rich enough to provide for their own (fiscal America First rhetoric). But I’m sure, if you pressed him on it, that absolutely excludes weapons manufacturing on American soil, that is then shipped directly to Israel to conduct a genocide and active expansionism, as that would impede on the profits of US capital.

    He supports Israel’s Iron Dome and argues for an unequal two-state solution with a completely demilitarized Palestine.

    He is a Zionist and he positions himself as a Democratic Party Presidential candidate. He absolutely is an empire manager and he will rule like one.

    Bernie was an Israeli colonists in his past.

    Well then, so there’s a difference. Although, we’re talking about their rhetoric and roles in the Democratic Party of the US Empire, today. And you only brought that up to differentiate them on a detail, after the fact.

    1. “extremist elements”, as should be clear, being people that fight for Palestinian liberation and an end of the genocide by the Apartheid regime.
    2. So basically following the progressives except for Palestine scheme.
    • geneva_convenience@lemmy.mlOP
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      5 hours ago

      You’re right I googled his stance on BDS but got a different result. I’ll delete my comment. Thanks for the correction.