Newsom dares Democrats to catch up by calling Israel a ‘sort of apartheid’ | Opinion
That Gov. Gavin Newsom described Israel as “sort of an apartheid state” during a podcast promoting his new memoir isn’t notable for definitional reasons.
“Apartheid,” an Afrikaans word meaning “separateness,” is a system of segregation or discrimination on the grounds of race. The term is most commonly associated with the institutionalized system of racial segregation and discrimination enforced by the South African government in the 20th Century.
Israel, then, is certainly an apartheid state. It has systematically oppressed and discriminated against another racial group, the Palestinians, as defined by the United Nations General Assembly more than 50 years ago.
No, Newsom’s comments are notable because he’s one of the first high-profile Democrats to break with the party line — even though he later appeared to try and walk back his comments.
During the podcast interview, Newsom said that some people “are talking about (Israel) appropriately as sort of an apartheid state,” and that “the current leadership in Israel is walking us down that path where I don’t think you have a choice about that consideration,” referencing continued U.S. military presence support.
The decision to speak against Israel now — albeit in hedging terms — could be attributed to the governor’s honed ability to correctly determine which way the wind is blowing: Polls show that the American public has increasingly turned against Israel since the war in Gaza began more than two years ago.
And Newsom, who obviously has aspirations to occupy the White House, is no fool.
Americans have watched for the last two years as popular support for Palestine moved from a fringe cause to a serious topic for governors and presidential candidates; an incredible timeline given the sloth-like pace of politics — and one that supporters of Palestine should be proud of.
According to The New York Times, American voters broadly sympathized with Israel after the attacks on Oct. 7, 2023; 47% sided with Israel and just 20% with Palestinians.
But in a poll conducted by The Times around the second anniversary of the attacks, public sympathy had shifted: Only 34% of Americans surveyed said they sided with Israel and 35% with Palestinians. The remaining 31% were unsure or backed both countries equally.
And the divide only gets worse among Democratic voters: In a 2025 Quinnipiac poll, voters were asked whether they sympathize more with the Israelis or the Palestinians. Republicans and Independents both skewed in favor of Israel, and the latter not by much. But among Democratic voters, only 12% said they supported the Israel, while 60% said their sympathy was with the Palestinians. (The remainder, 29%, did not offer an opinion.)
My generation, Millennials, are currently 30 to 45 years old. We, and those generations younger than us, generally see Palestinians as the underdog in this fight, whereas older generations tend to see Israel in that role. We look at the war through a lens of human rights and social justice issues, and with a profound disgust for America’s colonialist history.
Palestinians have also harnessed the immense power of social media, speaking to the world about their cause through videos and posts that have brought the faraway war directly into our hands. It’s difficult not to be moved when you regularly see videos on your feed of starving and dying Palestinian children, their bodies monotone gray from the dust of collapsed buildings hit by Israeli drones.
That makes Newsom one of the few Democratic politicians who have clocked just how angry the party’s base is. It could serve him well in the next two years, as President Donald Trump embroils the U.S. in another Middle East war, with Israel as our only ally.
“We’re talking about regime change?” Newsom said, referencing the recent attacks on Iran. “For two years, they haven’t even been able to solve the Hamas question in Israel.”
A spokesman for Newsom, Izzy Gardon, told The Times that the governor “believes in Israel’s right to exist — and its right to defend itself” but that “the governor is calling out a difficult truth.”
Gardon said Newsom blames both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for “taking Israel down a course that threatens the safety of Israel — a democracy and America’s closest Middle East ally — as well as Israelis and American Jews.”
Newsom could have also added Palestinians to the list of those whose safety is being threatened. But baby steps for now, I guess.
This story was originally published March 6, 2026 at 11:20 AM.
