CA governor Newsom questions US support for Israel, cites ‘apartheid state’ criticism

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday said that some observers “appropriately” describe Israel as an “apartheid state” while directing much of his criticism at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Bibi).

“The issue of Bibi is interesting because 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 in an interview on the podcast, “Pod Save America.”

Rebuking Israel’s policies, he said “others are talking about it appropriately as sort of an apartheid state.”

Newsom who is a likely Democratic 2028 presidential candidate, was asked during the interview whether the United States should be “rethinking our military support for Israel.”

“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,” the California governor responded.

The claim that Israel practices “apartheid” is disputed. Arab Israelis – including Muslims, Christians, and Druze – make up roughly 20% of the country’s population and hold equal civic rights under Israeli law. Many serve in prominent roles as lawmakers, lawyers, doctors, senior judges, scientists, and leaders of hospitals and banks. By contrast, Arabic-speaking residents of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) are not Israeli citizens, and most live under the administration of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Newsom, like many Democrats, is opposed to the Trump administration’s joint military action with Israel against Iran, Operation Epic Fury. He said it was “pretty damn self-evident” that Netanyahu had influenced U.S. President Donald Trump to enter the war against the ayatollah regime.

Trump has strongly denied the charge and has repeatedly stressed that Iran poses a serious threat to U.S. national security and interests in the Middle East.

Newsom previously defined his relationship with the Jewish state as “crystal clear in my love for Israel – and my condemnation of Bibi.”

“I didn’t expect to be in that place, you know, a few years ago, let alone, you know, where we are today, and it’s accelerating in real time in a deeply, deeply alarming way,” Newsom added.

However, his critical rhetoric on Israel may be aimed at appealing to segments of the Democratic Party that question U.S. military assistance to the country. There is a rising discussion within the party, particularly among progressive Democrats, about reviewing or potentially limiting such support.

Israel currently receives some $3.6 billion in military assistance from Washington. Senior U.S. military officials have described the U.S. military commitment to Israel as a mutually beneficial investment rather than traditional “aid.” Most of these funds are designated for spending within the U.S., supporting thousands of American jobs, while the U.S. also gains access to advanced technologies and intelligence provided by Israel.

In January, Netanyahu announced a plan to phase out U.S. military assistance to Israel within a decade. The prime minister has praised the alliance with the U.S. while emphasizing the need for Israel to become more self-reliant in producing its own defense systems.