Gavin Newsom compares Israel to an “apartheid state,” urges the US to rethink military support

California Governor Gavin Newsom likened Israel to an “apartheid state” and questioned future US military support for the country.

Speaking on stage at an event to promote his new memoir, A Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of DiscoveryNewsom, who is widely expected to enter the 2028 presidential race, has been asked before Pod Save America Host Jon Favreau on the US-Israel relationship and whether it should be reconsidered. “It breaks my heart, because the current leadership in Israel is taking us down a path where I don’t think you have a choice on that consideration,” Newsom said of the prospect of reconsidering US support for Israel.

Newsom’s statements come in light of the devastation in Gaza and the ongoing war with Iran. But also as the Democratic base’s views of Israel have turned markedly negative, to the point where even simple ties to Israel have become an electoral liability for Democrats in primary races.

Newsom was also asked about Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, someone the governor has publicly criticized on numerous occasions.

“issue [Netanyahu] “It’s interesting,” Newsom said. “He has his own internal issues. He’s trying to stay out of prison. He has elections coming up. He’s probably on the ropes. He has hard-line people who want to annex the West Bank. I mean, [Thomas Friedman] And others are talking about it [Israel] Appropriately as a kind of apartheid state.

Newsom’s reference to Friedman relates to New York Times The columnist’s constant warnings that Israel was on the path to becoming an apartheid state. In his latest column, Friendman argues that “if the war in Iran enables Netanyahu to win Israeli elections scheduled for this year, it will serve as a major impetus for his efforts to annex the West Bank, cripple the Israeli Supreme Court and make Israel an apartheid state, which would be a major blow to American interests in the region outside Iran.”

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