California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday called Israel an "apartheid state" and suggested the U.S. may be forced to reconsider military support for the key ally, comments that landed as President Donald Trump faces pressure amid U.S. strikes on Iran.
Newsom made the remarks in Los Angeles while promoting his new memoir.
In a conversation with "Pod Save America" host Jon Favreau, Newsom was asked whether America should consider "rethinking our military support for Israel."
Newsom responded: "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," Politico reported.
Newsom, who traveled to Israel shortly after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, has been navigating a politically divisive issue that split Democrats during the 2024 presidential election.
He has noted that he did not receive campaign contributions from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee while emphasizing the strong ties between his home state and the Jewish state.
AIPAC is primarily involved in federal elections, not state races, through its affiliated federal political committees that support candidates for Congress.
The group describes its mission as supporting "pro-Israel Democratic and Republican members of Congress and congressional candidates," which by definition centers on U.S. House and Senate contests.
At the Los Angeles event, Newsom criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and argued Israel's internal politics were shaping its direction.
"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, adding that some "are talking about it appropriately as sort of an apartheid state."
Newsom also criticized the Trump administration's strikes in Iran and questioned the stated trajectory of the campaign.
Iranian state media reported that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed after U.S. and Israeli strikes, and separate reporting described an expanding U.S. operation against Iran that has triggered legal and political scrutiny from Democrats and cheers from Republicans.
"We're talking about regime change?" Newsom said. "For two years, they haven't even been able to solve the Hamas question in Israel."
Reuters contributed to this report.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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