Overview
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a Politico interview published Tuesday, said he regrets using the word “apartheid” for Israel and clarified he meant a potential outcome if far-right policies lead to full annexation of the West Bank.
- He said he reveres and supports Israel, declined to adopt the “Zionist” label, and issued sharp criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership and opposition to a two‑state solution.
- His early March remarks on Pod Save America, where he cited columnist Thomas Friedman and said people were “appropriately” calling Israel “sort of an apartheid state,” prompted pushback from Jewish leaders who pressed him to clarify.
- Newsom’s walkback eases immediate pressure yet keeps alive a party debate over whether U.S. military aid should be reconsidered if Israeli policy cements permanent control over Palestinian territory.
- Coverage split along familiar lines, with right-leaning outlets stressing a backtrack and his reluctance to say “Zionist,” progressive venues faulting the reversal and citing human-rights groups that already use the apartheid label, and Jewish outlets noting his support for Israel paired with condemnation of Netanyahu.