Newsom: Condemnation of Netanyahu ‘almost universal’ among Democrats

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said Monday that condemnation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “almost universal” in the Democratic Party.

In an interview with PBS News’s “ Settle In ,” host Amna Nawaz asked Newsom about the Democratic stance on Israel, which has divided the party in battleground states such as Michigan.

“I think it’s overwhelmingly opposed to the current regime in Israel,” he said.

“You believe the party is?” Nawaz clarified.

“The condemnation of what Netanyahu is doing is almost universal,” Newsom responded. “There’s no controversy within the party on that.”

He cited Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Netanyahu’s rejection of a two-state solution as reasons behind the condemnation.

“We want a democratic and secure Israel, and we want a secure democratic Palestinian state as well, right next door, and I don’t think that’s a really divisive thing,” he said.

“Even if you don’t think it’s a genocide, it’s a moral catastrophe how things have been conducted,” he added.

Newsom — a potential 2028 presidential contender — previously compared Israel to an “apartheid state” in March, even suggesting that the United States should “rethink” its relationship with Israel. Earlier in the year, he also told conservative commentator Ben Shapiro on the governor’s podcast “This is Gavin Newsom” in January that he was “crystal clear on my love for Israel.”

Nawaz asked Newsom about donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) — a major pro-Israel group — becoming a “litmus test for candidates.”

“But again, it’s pretty overwhelming opposition to accepting money from AIPAC as well,” he said. “I think it’s a minority of Democrats that are accepting AIPAC.”

Newsom confirmed in February that he has never accepted money from AIPAC and will not in the future.

Public opinion of Israel in the U.S. has shifted in the years since the Israeli government launched its military offensive in Gaza after Oct. 7, 2023.

An Associated Press/NORC poll found that 58 percent of Democrats believe the U.S. supports Israel too much. It reported that 62 percent of Democrats say the U.S. has not supported Palestinians enough, compared with 49 percent in 2024.