Gavin Newsom Labels Israel ‘Apartheid State,’ Questions US Aid

Gavin Newsom gets people angry by calling Israel a “apartheid state” and questioning US military aid while Netanyahu is being criticized.

Newsom said these things that made people angry at an event in Los Angeles for his memoir “Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery,” which Jon Favreau from Pod Save America hosted. When asked about the US-Israel alliance, he said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership is leading the country toward policies that make the US rethink its military support. The comments come at a time when Gaza is being destroyed, tensions are rising with Iran, and Democratic voters are changing their minds about Israel.

Newsom talked about Netanyahu’s “domestic challenges,” like avoiding jail and the upcoming election, as well as pressure from hardliners to annex the West Bank. He talked about New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman and how some people are talking about Israel as “sort of an apartheid state” because of these trends. Newsom said the path made him sad and made him think about whether the US should continue to support it.

Newsom’s comments show that more and more Democrats are criticizing Israel, which makes it risky for candidates to support Israel in primaries. He has said before that his “love for Israel” is different from his criticism of “Bibi” Netanyahu. This is in line with reports from around the world that say Israeli policies in occupied territories are similar to apartheid.