Does Gavin Newsom Support Israel?

David Svetsky Feb 26, 2025 Updated Aug 06, 2026 4 min read

Short answer: Yes, but with real nuance. As of August 2026, California Governor Gavin Newsom has a long record of pro-Israel and anti-antisemitism action, including a 2023 Israel visit, statewide antisemitism funding, and hundreds of millions of dollars in security and Holocaust survivor support. But in March 2026 he also drew heavy criticism for saying some people "appropriately" call Israel an apartheid state and for blaming Prime Minister Netanyahu for pulling the United States into the Israel-Iran war, before partly walking that language back weeks later and saying "I revere the state of Israel." His position today is best described as historically supportive of Israel as a state, increasingly critical of Netanyahu's government specifically, and shifting under the pressure of a likely 2028 presidential run.

What Gavin Newsom has actually said and done

October 20, 2023: Newsom made a one-day surprise stop in Israel while en route to a China climate trip, meeting Israel's foreign minister, hostage families including the parents of Californian Hersh Goldberg-Polin, and a girl wounded in the October 7 attack. He pledged $10 million in state funding for police patrols at California synagogues and mosques, according to the Times of San Diego.
April 5, 2024: Newsom unveiled the "Golden State Plan to Counter Antisemitism," a first-of-its-kind statewide framework built with the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California and the Legislative Jewish Caucus, covering security grants, Holocaust and Jewish heritage education, and campus antisemitism, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
October 13, 2025: Newsom issued a statement welcoming Middle East peace progress and the release of hostages, saying he was "encouraged by this progress that moves us closer to peace" and pointing back to his 2023 Israel visit and the Golden State Plan, per the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom.
March 3, 2026: During a live "Pod Save America" appearance promoting his memoir, Newsom said some people "appropriately" describe a future annexationist Israel as heading toward an "apartheid state," blamed Netanyahu for pushing Trump into war with Iran, and said continued U.S. military aid to Israel should be reconsidered if it draws America into regional wars, according to CNN and the Forward.
March 24, 2026: In a Politico interview, Newsom said he regretted using the word "apartheid," clarified he had been echoing a New York Times Thomas Friedman column warning of a possible future trajectory rather than describing present-day Israel, and said "I revere the state of Israel. I'm proud to support the state of Israel." He maintained that he "deeply oppose[s] Bibi Netanyahu's leadership" on the two-state solution and West Bank settlement expansion, per the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and the Forward.
June 2025: California's signed 2025-26 state budget included a one-time $14.5 million allocation for the Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program, and the 2026-27 budget Newsom signed on June 29, 2026 made the Nonprofit Security Grant Program permanent, which funds security upgrades at synagogues and other houses of worship, continuing Newsom-era funding priorities for the Jewish community, according to JPAC California.

Two threads people conflate

Newsom's record splits into two threads that get mixed together in searches like "does Gavin Newsom support Israel."

The first thread is state-level, material, and consistently supportive of Jewish community safety: the 2023 Israel visit and hostage-family meetings, the 2024 Golden State Plan to Counter Antisemitism, and recurring state budget lines, tens of millions of dollars a year, for synagogue and Jewish-institution security and Holocaust survivor assistance. None of this is disputed, and it predates and continues through his 2026 controversy.

The second thread is rhetorical and political, tied to his likely 2028 presidential run. In early March 2026, promoting his new memoir on the podcast Pod Save America, Newsom said some people "appropriately" call a West Bank-annexing Israel an apartheid state, and separately blamed Netanyahu, whom he described as facing domestic legal and political troubles, for drawing the United States into the Israel-Iran war, while questioning future U.S. military aid. That drew sharp pushback from Jewish organizations and outlets including the Forward, JNS, and JTA. Three weeks later, in the Politico interview published March 24-25, 2026, Newsom walked back the word "apartheid" specifically, said he had been referencing a Thomas Friedman column about a possible future rather than the present, and stated "I revere the state of Israel." He did not walk back his criticism of Netanyahu's government or his position on the two-state solution and West Bank settlements, and he did not directly answer whether he considers himself a Zionist when asked.

The bottom line

Gavin Newsom is not anti-Israel, and he has a genuine multi-year record of pro-Israel and pro-Jewish-community action as governor. But as of August 2026, he is best described as supportive of Israel's existence and security while being publicly and sharply critical of Netanyahu's government specifically. His March 2026 "apartheid" comment, later partly walked back, shows real political drift tied to his 2028 ambitions. The honest picture is complicated, not a simple yes or no.

Wear where you stand

Whatever any one politician says in any given news cycle, plenty of people want a simple, permanent way to show where they stand on Israel. Our Support Israel collection lets you do exactly that, without waiting on anyone's next statement to walk back or clarify.

Last updated August 2026. We update these profiles as the record changes.