California governor shows solidarity with Arab, Muslim Americans, calls for Gaza cease-fire

California Governor Gavin Newsom has called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, becoming the first state governor in the U.S. to do so. 

He made the statement in an open letter of support to the state’s Arab, Palestinian and Muslim communities, in which he also acknowledged the month of Ramadan. 

He wrote, “I support President Biden’s call for an immediate cease-fire as part of a deal to secure desperately needed relief for Gazan civilians and the release of hostages.” 

He continued: “I also unequivocally denounce Hamas’s terrorist attack against Israel. It is time to work in earnest toward an enduring peace that will furnish the lasting security, autonomy, and freedom that the Palestinians and the Israeli people both deserve.”

Amid reports of rising Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism across the United States, Newsom praised the two communities’ contributions to California’s fabric.

He also pledged to combat rising hate crimes against Muslims and Arabs in the state. 

Newsom’s statement emerged after months of criticism by advocates for a cease-fire that the governor was not even-handed in his stance on Israel’s war on Gaza. 

Over 60 percent of likely voters in California support an immediate cease-fire, according to a poll released last month by the Public Policy Institute of California. 

A Data For Progress poll last month found that 67 percent of American voters across the country support the U.S. calling for a permanent cease-fire and a de-escalation of violence in Gaza.