Gavin Newsom to make a last-minute stop in Israel before his trip to China

Gov. Gavin Newsom will make a last-minute stop in Israel on Friday as part of a previously announced trip to China.

Newsom was initially scheduled to swing through New York for “personal and political events” but canceled those plans to “meet with those impacted by the violence” in Israel, the governor’s office said Thursday.

“The governor adjusted his planned international trip and will briefly visit Israel ahead of going to China,” Newsom spokesperson Erin Mellon said in a statement.

The governor’s office has not said where in Israel he will be visiting, who specifically he will meet. Newsom is set to land in Israel Friday morning and depart the same day, before completing his journey to China.

The Democratic governor’s visit will come just two days after President Joe Biden’s diplomatic mission to Tel Aviv concluded. Biden’s trip marked the first time a U.S. president visited Israel during a time of war. Looming over the president’s visit was a catastrophic blast at a hospital in the Gaza Strip that the Gazan health ministry reported killed hundreds.

The Israel-Hamas war, which began earlier this month when Hamas terrorists breached the border of southern Israel, has left thousands dead. Since the initial attack, Israel has retaliated with repeated airstrikes in Gaza.

Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Republican presidential candidate and frequent target of Newsom’s, signed an order to charter flights of Americans from Israel to Tampa. DeSantis condemned the Biden administration for failing to “launch any form of rescue or evacuation operations for Americans.”

DeSantis and Newsom are set to debate one another next month on Fox News.

California to offer aid to Israel and Gaza

California is home to the largest number of Arab Americans of any state and the second-largest population of Jews in the U.S.

With concern over increased harassment and attacks against Muslims and Jews in America, Newsom on Thursday announced that the state was doubling the funding available through a grant program to bolster safety and security at religious institutions and places of worship. Eligible sites have until Oct. 27 to apply for funding.

Newsom’s office said California will also be sending medical supplies to the region, including Gaza, though they did not elaborate on those plans.

California’s Legislative Jewish Caucus thanked the governor in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, for his “unwavering support to Israel and the Jewish community amid this horrific violence we are facing.”

California Republican Brian Dahle, a Republican who unsuccessfully ran against Newsom for governor last year, used the opportunity to renew criticism of the governor for working to elevate his national profile rather than focus on issues in the Golden State.

“Meanwhile avoiding the crises he’s created in CA,” Dahle wrote on X, alongside an image of the announcement regarding the governor’s visit to Israel.

Gavin Newsom to talk climate action in China

Newsom will begin his previously planned weeklong trip to China on Monday to discuss climate policies and promote economic development and tourism. The governor is scheduled to make stops in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai, as well as the province of Jiangsu.

“California and China hold the keys to solving the climate crisis,” Newsom said in a statement. “As two of the world’s largest economies, our partnership is essential to delivering climate action for our communities and beyond.”

This is only Newsom’s second international excursion in his official capacity as governor. His first trip was in April 2019 to El Salvador. He abruptly canceled a planned trip in October 2021 to Glasgow, Scotland, for the United Nations climate conference, citing “family obligations.”

Newsom’s predecessor Jerry Brown, on the other hand, made many international trips, including to Russia, Germany, Mexico and France.

This story was originally published October 19, 2023 at 10:59 AM.