Gavin Newsom likened Israel on Tuesday to an “apartheid state” and said its leadership has left the United States no choice but to reconsider military support for its ally in the Middle East.
The California governor, criticizing the Trump administration’s strikes in Iran while promoting his new memoir in Los Angeles, was asked by Pod Save America host Jon Favreau: “Do you think, looking down the road, that the United States should consider maybe, you know, rethinking our military support for Israel?”
Newsom replied: “It breaks my heart, because the current leadership in Israel is walking us down that path where I don't think you have a choice about that consideration.”
The remarks from Newsom, who traveled to Israel just after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on the country, marked the latest attempt by the likely 2028 presidential contender to navigate an issue that divided Democrats during the 2024 presidential election. Newsom previously emphasized that he has not received campaign donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee — which doesn’t typically involve itself in statewide races — while also highlighting “the deep connections between my home state and this country.”
His comments Tuesday came after he sharply questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration.
“He's got his own domestic issues. He's trying to stay out of jail. He's got an election coming up. He's potentially on the ropes. He's got folks, the hard line, that want to annex the West Bank,” Newsom said at the event, adding that some “are talking about it appropriately as sort of an apartheid state.”
He went on to indict Israel’s military operations in Iran, which the United States backed up over the weekend by assassinating the country’s supreme leader.
“We're talking about regime change?” Newsom said. “For two years, they haven't even been able to solve the Hamas question in Israel.”
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