Updated Aug. 5
U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Santa Clara) is gathering congressional signatures for a letter calling on President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to recognize a Palestinian state.
Khanna’s office told J. on Aug. 1 that 11 representatives, including himself, had signed the letter, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and another politician from Northern California — Rep. Jared Huffman, a Democrat whose district spans California’s coastline from Marin County to Oregon. Another two representatives had signed it as of Aug. 5, Khanna’s office said.
In his letter, Khanna cites the “tragic moment” that “has highlighted for the world the long overdue need to recognize Palestinian self-determination.” The letter also condemns Israel’s conduct in the West Bank and Israeli cabinet ministers who have called for the annexation of Gaza.
“A Palestinian state recognized as a full and equal member of the community of nations is necessary to fulfill the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people and ensure the state of Israel’s survival as the democratic homeland of the Jewish people,” the letter reads.
His letter comes amid fierce international criticism of Israel over a humanitarian crisis in Gaza after 22 months of the Israel-Hamas war. Over the past two weeks, credible reports have surfaced of widespread hunger in Gaza. The attention has led Israel to significantly expand food and aid entering the strip. It has also resulted in several Western countries announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state.
The S.F.-based Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest declined to comment on the leaked letter.
Khanna’s letter, which is labeled “draft,” was first obtained by Jewish Insider and was not meant to be released publicly. On Aug. 1, Khanna’s office shared it with J.
He criticized the release of the letter in an X post a day earlier.
“Someone leaked our effort to try to sabotage it. Sad. It won’t work,” he wrote. “Recognizing a Palestinian state is an idea whose time has come. The response of my colleagues has been overwhelming.”
Khanna — a progressive whose congressional district covers a swath of Silicon Valley and includes a significant number of Israelis and Israeli Americans who work in the tech sector — could face significant backlash from the Bay Area Jewish community.
“Ro Khanna has disappointed many in the community time and time again with his votes on international matters,” Tali Klima, a spokesperson for the Bay Area Jewish Coalition, said in an email to J. earlier this summer, after Khanna announced his opposition to U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
After this article was published on Aug. 1, Khanna shared it on X, quoting from it and mentioning Klima by name.
“I will not be intimidated. You don’t know me or my grandfather,” his X post stated in part, likely referencing Amarnath Vidyalankar, a leader of India’s independence movement.
The BAJC fired back at Khanna in an Instagram post on Aug. 4, referencing the vulnerability of the Jewish community.
“Rep. Ro Khanna chose to personally target one of his Jewish constituents on X, completely unprovoked,” BAJC’s post said. “While our volunteers work day and night to fight rising antisemitism in the Bay Area, we expect our elected officials to stand with us, not target us.”
Khanna’s record on issues important to the Jewish community has been mixed.
He collaborated with the Bay Area Jewish Coalition for a town hall on antisemitism in March 2024, where he stated that a denial of Israel as a Jewish state is a form of antisemitism, La Voz News reported.
In October 2024, Khanna criticized the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association for suspending an Israeli LGBTQ community group as part of a boycott campaign, according to a report from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
At the same time, Khanna has been calling for a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war since November 2023.
In April 2024, he voted against supplemental funding and military aid to Israel, while expressing support for strengthening Israel’s Iron Dome and other defense systems.
A statement emailed Aug. 1 to J. by Khanna’s office said that the exact borders of a U.S.-recognized Palestinian state would be determined through “negotiation with the Palestinian voice, Israel, and the 22 Arab league nations.”
Khanna’s letter does call on Hamas to fully disarm and relinquish power and for any future Palestinian state to “fully recognize Israel and adopt a framework to guarantee Israel’s security.”
In his letter, Khanna said he drew inspiration from French President Emmanuel Macron, who announced on July 24 that France will recognize a Palestinian state in September.
Critics of such recognition argue that it would reward terrorism, particularly after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in Israel. Hamas itself praised Macron for taking a “positive step in the right direction,” JTA reported on July 25.
Rubio publicly criticized Macron in a July 24 post on X, describing the decision as “reckless” and saying that it “only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace.”
“It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th,” Rubio wrote.
Trump echoed Rubio’s disapproval and stated that he would oppose recognizing a Palestinian state after British Prime Minister Kier Starmer announced on July 29 that the United Kingdom plans to do so, Newsweek reported.
Huffman, the other Northern California representative who signed the letter, said Aug. 1 in a statement that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza needs to end.
“With all the stipulations and prior statements I have made about Hamas’ brutal terrorism, Israel’s right to defend itself against true security threats, and the imperative of Hamas releasing the hostages,” Huffman wrote, “right now the burden of ending the humanitarian tragedy falls on Israel — and on the United States as Israel’s closest ally.”