Congressman Ro Khanna's West Bank trip turned into a political fight, and it's bad for Israel's image and its defenders in Washington who rushed to attack a US lawmaker.

• Khanna skipped the official Israel tour and went to the West Bank on his own to see the Palestinian side.
• He was stopped by armed settlers and IDF soldiers, even after they learned he was a US congressman.
• Officials in both US parties — plus Ambassador Mike Huckabee — piled on, calling it a stunt and claiming he entered a restricted zone.
• Israeli press (the Jerusalem Post) contradicts them: the area was no longer a closed zone, and soldiers had no right to detain him.
• The bigger point: US politicians and the ambassador instantly sided with a foreign government against their own citizen.

Outlook: Expect the fight to keep fueling the growing US debate over unconditional support for Israel, especially among Democratic voters.