thomas Baddeley

Let's not lose our grip on the facts - instead of recriminations and accusations - just the facts. 1) Congressman @RoKhanna was offered to coordinate his visit with the State of Israel - this goes beyond notifying of his presence in the country. He was offered in-depth coordination of his schedule to avoid misunderstandings, and he chose to ignore that offer. He also chose not to coordinate his visit with the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. 2) He chose to conduct his visit accompanied by Palestinian activists, and, for some reason, @nytimes journalists with cameras at the ready. With him was also a person affiliated with @jstreet, an organization that actively lobbies against the government of Israel on Capitol Hill. 3) Mr. Khanna and his entourage entered what was believed to be a closed military zone without permission. The military had no prior knowledge of him going there, due to his refusal to coordinate with them. The vehicle they stopped was unknown to them and therefore provoked suspicion. The moment details of the Congressman's identity were cleared, he was free to go. At no point was the congressman, or any member of his party, threatened by the soldiers, or civilians bearing arms. 4) To add insult to injury - the Congressman used this instance as an opportunity to tout "genocide" and "apartheid" libels to the press, propelling himself to the center of yet another anti-Israel media frenzy. The facts don't lie - this was a cheap, anticipated provocation, that could, and should have been avoided. 5) Calling me a liar won’t change the facts. I’d be happy to host Congressman Khanna at our embassy for an in-depth conversation on his grievances regarding Israel.