Washington, D.C. (July 13, 2026) — In case you missed it, Democratic Majority for Israel Chair and former Congresswoman Kathy Manning shared a video response to Representative Ro Khanna’s recent trip to the West Bank. In the video, Rep. Manning expresses relief for Khanna’s safety, condemns settler violence, and questions the intentions of his visit, noting it had “all the hallmarks of a political stunt rather than a genuine effort to understand this complex conflict.”
“If your goal is to learn, you don’t seek out only one perspective,” said Manning. “It is extremely disappointing that Congressman Khanna didn’t take the time on this trip to meet with Israelis living along the northern border who have endured relentless attacks from Hezbollah. Nor did he meet with the victims and families whose lives were forever changed by Hamas’s October 7th terrorist attacks.”
Read below for a full transcript of former Rep. Manning’s response, or watch her full response here.
Former Congresswoman and DMFI Board Chair Kathy Manning Responds to Rep. Ro Khanna
“I’m Kathy Manning, former Congresswoman and Chair of Democratic Majority for Israel.
“I want to start by saying I was concerned about the incident Congressman Ro Khanna had in the West Bank. I’m relieved that he and everyone traveling with him are safe.
“I have said many times that settler violence is unacceptable. It’s wrong, it must be prosecuted, and it undermines Israel’s security and the prospects for peace. At the same time, Congressman Khanna’s trip had all the hallmarks of a political stunt rather than a genuine effort to understand this complex conflict.
“If your goal is to learn, you don’t seek out only one perspective. It is extremely disappointing that Congressman Khanna didn’t take the time on this trip to meet with Israelis living along the northern border who have endured relentless attacks from Hezbollah. Nor did he meet with the victims and families whose lives were forever changed by Hamas’s October 7th terrorist attacks.
“Those voices also matter, and any sincere effort to understand this conflict should include them.
“I visited Israelis on the northern border and those near Gaza whose communities had been destroyed on October 7th. And those conversations were illuminating. Also, Khanna is wrong to view the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the lens of America’s own racial history. This is not a conflict that can be neatly divided into oppressors and oppressed based on race. That construct simply doesn’t apply to this conflict. The majority of Israeli Jews trace their heritage to the Middle East and North Africa. They have all different skin tones and a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Imposing an American racial framework on this conflict distorts the reality on the ground and is disingenuous.
“At DMFI, we believe that anyone seeking to understand this conflict has a responsibility to do it in good faith, to seek to understand the conflict in its full complexity, and to reject simplistic narratives that make understanding harder instead of bringing peace closer.”