California governor Newsom questions US support for 'apartheid state' Israel
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday questioned US military backing of Israel in their war on Iran, likening it to an "apartheid state".
Newsom criticised President Donald Trump's administration for its attack on Iran during an event in Los Angeles.
When asked by Pod Save America host Jon Favreau if Washington should consider rethinking its military support for Israel in the long term, the California governor aired his disappointment with the current Israeli government.
"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," Newsom replied.
While Newsom has publicly backed Israel and denied that a genocide has occurred in Gaza, recently he has made several remarks questioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership and called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
“He’s got his own domestic issues. He’s trying to stay out of jail,” he said of the Israeli leader. "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."
The US politician and potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate added that some are comparing Israel "appropriately as sort of an apartheid state".
Speaking on Israel's operation in Iran, which was launched jointly with the US, Newsom criticised the decision.
Speaking on Tuesday in Los Angeles, Gavin Newsom said that commentators such as Thomas Friedman were “appropriately” referring to Israel as an “apartheid state”, amid calls to annex the occupied West Bank.
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) March 4, 2026
Asked whether Washington should reconsider its military support for… pic.twitter.com/rq9HAQ9iqv
“We’re talking about regime change?... For two years, they haven’t even been able to solve the Hamas question in Israel," he remarked, referencing Israel's plans to overthrow Tehran's current leadership.
Newsom said on Sunday that he “Never have and never will” take money from Israel lobby group Aipac, as Democratic voters increasingly express opposition to Israel over the genocide in Gaza, and its influence in US politics.
He said earlier this year that he is “crystal clear in my love for Israel - and my condemnation of Bibi [Netanyahu], and there’s a distinction”.
Newsom's comments come amid tensions within the Trump administration itself over the war on Iran.
In what appeared to be a contradiction of Secretary of State Marco Rubio's remarks just one day earlier, President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that "if anything, I might have forced Israel's hand" into a war on Iran.
"It was my opinion that [Iran was] going to attack first... based on the way the negotiation was going," he said.
On Monday, Rubio told reporters that an assessment was made that if the US waited for what it knew was Israel's impending attack before hitting Iran, American forces would suffer higher casualties.
"And so the president made the very wise decision" to join the Israeli attack from the beginning, Rubio said.
"We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties," he added.
Israeli-US attacks on Iran have killed over 1,000 civilians so far, including over 150 schoolchildren, according to local reports confirmed by witnesses who spoke to Middle East Eye.
In response, Tehran launched retaliatory strikes on Israel and US military targets across the Middle East.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
