Newsom to Make Surprise Visit to Israel Ahead of Scheduled China Trip

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans to make a surprise visit to Israel this week, ahead of his previously scheduled trip to China.

Newsom “adjusted his planned international trip and will briefly visit Israel,” spokesperson Erin Mellon said in a statement Thursday morning.

He intends to arrive on Friday and depart later that day for Hong Kong, Mellon said, without specifying where in Israel the governor plans to visit, or exactly who he will meet with.

“I’m on my way to Israel,” Newsom said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday. “I’ll be meeting with those impacted by the horrific terrorist attacks and offering California’s support.”

The state is also sending medical supplies to the region, including provisions intended for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, his office said.

Newsom’s impromptu detour to the embattled Middle East nation follows President Joe Biden’s brief visit there on Wednesday, during which he reaffirmed his administration’s support for Israel in its war on Hamas. But Biden also cautioned Israel against being “consumed” by rage in its quest for justice and helped broker a deal to allow some food and medical aid into Gaza.

Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, which is home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, also separately visited the country on Wednesday to meet with Jewish families impacted by the recent attacks.

Intense fighting between Israel and Hamas erupted nearly two weeks ago after the militant group that controls Gaza waged a surprise attack on Israel, killing more than 1,400 people in communities near the border and taking some 200 hostages. Israel responded by cutting off food, water and power to the more than 2 million people who live in Gaza, and has hammered the territory with a barrage of air strikes that have killed nearly 3,800 Palestinians since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Newsom’s high-profile visit to Israel, which was announced on the fly, is likely to further fuel speculation about his presidential ambitions.

On Wednesday, Newsom announced more security funding for mosques, synagogues and other places of worship in California, including $10 million to immediately increase the police presence at vulnerable locations.

“No matter how and where one prays, every Californian deserves to be safe,” Newsom said in a statement announcing the funding.

California is home to the largest population of Arab Americans in the U.S. and the second-largest population of Jews,  according to the Arab American Institute and Brandeis University’s American Jewish Population Project.

The governor plans to head to China on Monday for a weeklong trip, where he’s scheduled to meet with business and government leaders and aims to push for more climate action. While there, Newsom also intends to address economic development, tourism and efforts to combat hate crimes against Asian Americans, his office said.