California Governor Gavin Newsom said Tuesday that he regrets describing Israel as an “apartheid” state, while at the same time making clear his strong opposition to the leadership of Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.

The initial comments came earlier this month during an appearance on a political podcast, where Newsom indicated agreement with claims labeling Israel an “apartheid state” and raised questions about continued U.S. military assistance.

In that discussion, Newsom also suggested that Israel’s role in influencing U.S. strikes against Iran was obvious, and he directed pointed criticism at Netanyahu.

“The issue of Bibi is interesting because he’s got his own domestic issues. He’s trying to stay out of jail, he’s got an election coming up, he’s potentially on the ropes, he’s got folks, the hard line, that want to annex the West Bank,” said Newsom, adding that “others are talking about it appropriately as sort of an apartheid state.”

When asked during the podcast whether Washington should reconsider its military support for Israel, Newsom responded, “It breaks my heart, because the current leadership in Israel is walking us down that path where I don’t think you have a choice.”

In remarks published Tuesday in an interview with Politico, Newsom struck a more measured tone and clarified his views.

Responding to a question about whether he identifies as a Zionist, Newsom said, “I revere the state of Israel. I’m proud to support the state of Israel. I deeply, deeply oppose Bibi Netanyahu’s leadership, his opposition to the two-state solution and deeply oppose how he is indulging the far-right as it relates to what’s going on in the West Bank.”

Pressed on whether he regretted using the term “apartheid,” Newsom acknowledged that he did, explaining the context in which he used it. “I do in this context. I said it, and I referenced why I used it – a Tom Friedman article – in that same sentence where Tom used it in the context of the direction that Bibi is going.”

Newsom was referring to a column by New York Times writer Thomas Friedman, who argued that if the conflict with Iran helps Netanyahu secure victory in upcoming elections, it could accelerate policies he believes would fundamentally alter Israel’s character.

In that piece, Friedman wrote that such an outcome would “be a major propellant to his efforts to annex the West Bank, cripple the Israeli Supreme Court and make Israel an apartheid state.”

Expanding on that point, Newsom told Politico that he shares those concerns about Israel’s trajectory under its current leadership.

“That is a legitimate concern I have, that I share with Tom – that that direction, if that vision and that direction of the far right that Bibi is indulging, that if they see the full annexation of the West Bank, then that’s not something – that’s a word you may hear others use.”

{Matzav.com}