Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) found himself under fire from the Left on Tuesday after refusing to endorse Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel during a contentious interview with Drop Site News, despite his increasingly sharp criticism of the Israeli government following a recent trip to the West Bank.
The interview, conducted by Drop Site News co-founder Jeremy Scahill, repeatedly focused on whether Palestinians had the right to attack Israeli soldiers during the Oct. 7 assault. Scahill argued the initial targets were Israeli military bases, while Khanna declined to say Hamas was justified in attacking either soldiers or civilians.
“Did Palestinians have a right to attack Israeli military bases in the Gaza envelope?” Scahill asked. “Yes or no?”
Khanna called Oct. 7 “a terrorist attack” and rejected the premise.
“I’m not going to say that Hamas had a right to attack Israeli soldiers or kill Israelis,” he said. “I don’t think that advances peace or advances Palestinian statehood.”
Scahill accused Khanna of applying a “double standard,” arguing that the California Democrat recognized Israel’s right to respond militarily while refusing to justify Palestinian attacks on Israeli soldiers. Khanna responded by invoking the philosophies of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., saying he has “always been for peaceful resistance” and later adding, “I’m much more Dr. King than Malcolm X.”
Although Khanna rejected Hamas’s actions, he maintained his criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza, saying Israel had the right to pursue those responsible for Oct. 7 “but not in the way they went about it, which I’ve said is genocide.”
The interview came just days after Khanna’s visit to the West Bank, where he said Israeli settlers detained him and members of his delegation for 75 minutes.
“We had informed the Israeli Embassy,” Khanna told Fox News.
That account was disputed by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who wrote on X that the embassy “did NOT know a member of Congress was coming” and said officials would have advised Khanna not to enter the restricted area. Huckabee also disputed claims that Khanna had been “held at gunpoint.”
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Tuesday’s exchange is the latest example of Khanna facing criticism from anti-Israel activists despite moving further left on the conflict. Earlier this month, he also drew backlash after declining to support a complete U.S. arms embargo on Israel during an interview with political streamer Hasan Piker, who has publicly expressed support for Hamas and has repeatedly faced accusations of antisemitism from critics.
Drop Site News, which launched in 2024 with an extensive interview featuring two senior Hamas leaders, has drawn criticism from opponents who argue its coverage gives undue weight to Hamas’s claims and messaging.