California Representative Declines Meeting With Oct. 7 Survivors During Israel Visit

A California member of Congress declined an invitation to meet former Israeli hostages and Oct. 7 survivors during a trip that began Wednesday. The lawmaker's staff later described the visit as a campaign trip funded with campaign money. The Israeli Embassy contacted the representative's office on July 2.

The office stated the trip was private and that the lawmaker would not meet Israeli or Palestinian politicians.

Israeli officials offered a meeting with Oct. 7 survivors and former hostages on Monday. The representative's team did not respond. Officials followed up the next day with the same result. The Israelis also offered meetings with Druze communities in the Golan Heights, representatives from border communities, and a briefing on aid entering Gaza. The lawmaker did not accept those offers.

The representative posted on X on Saturday that armed Israeli settlers had detained the group during a West Bank tour. The post included video and photos. The representative stated that Israeli forces later blocked the road and that the group resumed travel after contacting the U.S. embassy and Israeli police.

A spokesperson for the representative said the team notified House leadership and both the American and Israeli embassies in advance. The spokesperson credited an embassy official with intervening during the incident and said campaign funds covered the trip.

The representative's office did not respond to questions about the declined meeting offers.