As the Democratic Party’s internal schism over Israel policy continues to deepen, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) called out California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a leading 2028 presidential contender, for recent comments characterizing Israel as an apartheid state and questioning future military aid.

“These comments are not only wrong, but they are dangerous and will feed more antisemitism in our country,” Gottheimer said on X this weekend. “Is it really worth throwing Jews under the bus to advance your political ambitions?”

Newsom and other 2028 contenders, including some who have strong pro-Israel voting records and close ties with the Jewish community, have increasingly shifted left on the U.S.-Israel relationship amid pressure and scrutiny from the progressive wing of the party.

Newsom, whose staff met with Jewish leaders in California after he made the comments, said subsequently that he was speaking about a potential Israeli annexation of the West Bank in reference to a February column by The New York Times’ Thomas Friedman that used the term “apartheid.”