Democratic presidential primary voters have taken a hard left turn on many issues, including Israel. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is following them, as evidenced by his recent labeling of Israel as “an apartheid state” unworthy of U.S. military support. That is how Newsom leads: by trailing behind his party’s base.
Promoting his latest book on the far-left Pod Save America podcast, Newsom was asked if it was “time to rethink the U.S. relationship with Israel, especially military support.” In response, he volunteered that he agrees with the critics of Israel who, in his opinion, have “appropriately” identified Israel as “an apartheid state,” adding that Israel’s attack on Iran was unwarranted because, “for two years they haven’t been able to solve the Hamas question.”
Pressed by a different host to answer specifically the military support question, Newsom said, “The current leadership is walking us down that path. I don’t think you have a choice about that consideration.”
If Newsom’s record of failure on energy, homelessness, job creation, poverty, and transportation weren’t already disqualifying for the White House, then the ahistorical, disgraceful pandering he displays in the comments quoted above surely should be.
Calling Israel an apartheid state betrays Newsom’s ignorance of apartheid South Africa, or the reality in Israel, or more likely both. South African apartheid was a system of racial domination that denied citizenship, voting, movement, and legal equality within one sovereign state. This does not describe Israel in any way. In Israel, Arab citizens are somewhat more than 20% of the population and enjoy full voting rights, representation in the Knesset, and positions on the nation’s Supreme Court. Arab Israelis serve alongside Jewish Israelis as Israeli military officers, doctors, and lawyers without any legal barriers. This is the polar opposite of how South African apartheid worked. Apartheid kept people apart; Israel unites them in a single nation.
Newsom’s crack about Israel attacking Iran before it had solved “the Hamas question” is particularly ignorant since Hamas would not exist without Iran’s financing, weapons, military training, and intelligence. Eliminating Iran’s support for Hamas is how Israel solves the “Hamas question.”
Ending military support of Israel would harm the United States’s interests in the Middle East and throughout the world, while doing nothing to satiate those who wish Israel harm. America spends $4 billion a year on Israel, about 5 hours’ worth of federal spending. No one is going hungry because Israel is buying American weapons systems and munitions.
More importantly, the $4 billion pays many dividends. Our missile defense systems are much better today thanks to cooperation with Israel in deploying and developing them. Israel has served, and is serving now with its strike on Israel, as a bulwark against Chinese influence in the region.
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Don’t think for a second that Newsom’s attack on Israel is a principled stand. In the past, Newsom has been highly supportive of Israel. But as the Democratic Party has moved far to the left on issues such as immigration, climate change, policing, gun control, and abortion, it has also turned against Israel. As recently as 2013, 63% of Democrats sympathized more with Israel than with Palestinians (11%). Today, more Democrats (41%) sympathize with the Palestinians than with Israel (30%).
Newsom is not leading on Israel; he is following, just as he has followed Democratic primary voters far to the left on every other issue mentioned above. He’s auditioning for the White House by throwing Israel under the bus.