SPREAD THE MESSAGE!!!!

What is Steve Hilton's stance on Israel? Steve Hilton has expressed strong support for Israel and for California's relationship with the country. The Republican candidate for California governor has opposed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, defended Israel's response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, rejected describing Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide, and said he would take legal action against California cities that boycott or divest from Israel.

Hilton has also emphasized fighting antisemitism and protecting Jewish Californians. However, there is an important limitation to his public record: he has not clearly stated a detailed position on the amount or type of U.S. military aid or weapons that should be provided to Israel.

Quick Answer: What Is Steve Hilton's Position on Israel?

Issue	Steve Hilton's Position
Does Steve Hilton support Israel?	Yes
Israel's relationship with California	Supports stronger economic and technological ties
BDS	Opposes BDS
California cities boycotting Israel	Would challenge them under California's anti-BDS law
Israel's response to October 7	Describes it as legitimate self-defense
Does Hilton call Israel's actions in Gaza genocide?	No
Antisemitism	Strongly opposes antisemitism and supports protecting Jewish Californians
U.S. military aid to Israel	No detailed public position located
Support for Palestinian aid	No detailed public position located

Does Steve Hilton Support Israel?

Yes. Hilton has repeatedly expressed support for Israel and for strengthening the relationship between California and Israel.

At a February 2026 Jewish California gubernatorial candidate forum, Hilton praised the economic relationship between California and Israel and described that cooperation as a foundation for a stronger future for both Israel and California. He also opposed efforts to boycott or divest from Israel.

His position is therefore clearly different from candidates who support boycotting Israel or who have called for California to distance itself from the Israeli government.

What Does Steve Hilton Think About Israel and Gaza?

Hilton has rejected the characterization of Israel's military campaign in Gaza as genocide.

In a May 2026 CalMatters candidate questionnaire, Hilton answered “No” when asked whether he considered Israel's actions in the Gaza war genocide.

He subsequently discussed the issue with JNS in May 2026. Hilton described the use of the term “genocide” to characterize Israel's actions as offensive and argued that Israel's military response followed the Hamas-led October 7 attack.

Hilton characterized Israel's response as legitimate self-defense and said the October 7 attack was among the most brutal atrocities of the previous century.

Does Steve Hilton Support Israel's War in Gaza?

Hilton has publicly defended Israel's military response to the October 7 attacks as self-defense.

That does not necessarily answer every question about the conduct of the war or specific Israeli military operations. His public statements located for this article primarily address whether Israel's broader response should be characterized as genocide and whether Israel had a legitimate right to defend itself.

His answer to the genocide question has been unequivocal: he does not believe Israel's actions in Gaza should be described as genocide.

Does Steve Hilton Support BDS?

No. Hilton opposes the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.

At the February 26, 2026 Jewish California gubernatorial forum, Hilton said California cities that boycott or divest from Israel would be violating state law. He said that, if elected governor, his attorney general would sue cities attempting to engage in such boycotts.

This is one of the clearest parts of Hilton's Israel-related platform because it involves a specific proposed action he would take as governor.

Would Steve Hilton Sue California Cities That Boycott Israel?

Yes.

Hilton has said that California cities participating in boycotts or divestment against Israel would be subject to legal action under the state's anti-BDS law.

At the February 2026 candidate forum, Hilton said:

“They're illegal. I will make sure that, as governor, my attorney general, sues these cities to stop them breaking the law.”

His position concerns California state law and the state's relationship with Israel rather than U.S. foreign policy.

Does Steve Hilton Support California's Relationship With Israel?

Yes.

Hilton has argued that California should maintain and expand its economic and technological relationship with Israel.

At the February 2026 Jewish California forum, he praised the existing relationship between California and Israel and described cooperation between the two as a foundation for future prosperity.

This fits with Hilton's broader emphasis on technology, entrepreneurship and economic growth in his campaign.

Does Steve Hilton Support Israel's Right to Defend Itself?

His public comments strongly indicate that he supports Israel's right to defend itself against attacks.

When discussing the Gaza war in 2026, Hilton described Israel's military response following October 7 as legitimate self-defense.

He also rejected the characterization of that response as genocide.

What Does Steve Hilton Say About Hamas?

Hilton's comments about Gaza have focused heavily on the October 7 Hamas-led attack and Israel's subsequent response.

He has described October 7 as an extremely serious atrocity and has used it to explain his view that Israel's military response was an act of self-defense.

His public comments therefore place significant emphasis on Hamas's attack when discussing the Gaza conflict.

Does Steve Hilton Support Palestine?

Hilton's public record provides considerably less detail about his position on Palestinian political issues than it does about his support for Israel.

He has not publicly laid out a detailed platform covering Palestinian statehood, Palestinian humanitarian aid, Gaza reconstruction or a specific two-state peace plan in the sources reviewed for this article.

That distinction is important. Supporting Israel does not automatically answer every question about Palestinian policy.

As of October 2026, the clearest documented positions from Hilton concern Israel's security, opposition to BDS, opposition to describing Israel's actions as genocide, California-Israel economic ties and combating antisemitism.

Does Steve Hilton Support U.S. Aid to Israel?

There is not enough public information to give a precise answer.

Hilton has expressed strong support for Israel, but a review of his 2026 campaign material and available interviews did not locate a detailed statement specifying what level of U.S. military aid or weapons the United States should provide to Israel.

This is partly because Hilton is running for California governor, rather than federal office. A governor does not vote on congressional foreign-aid legislation or directly determine U.S. weapons shipments to Israel.

Therefore, it would be inaccurate to claim that Hilton has publicly endorsed a specific dollar amount or weapons package unless he makes such a statement directly.

Does Steve Hilton Support Israeli Military Aid?

His broader political positioning is strongly supportive of Israel, but his specific position on U.S. weapons transfers is less clearly documented.

One 2026 candidate tracker that reviewed his public record concluded that no clear statement from Hilton had been located specifying what the United States should send Israel.

So the safest description is:

Hilton is clearly pro-Israel, but his public record does not establish a detailed position on specific U.S. weapons or funding levels.

Steve Hilton and Antisemitism

Fighting antisemitism is another major part of Hilton's Israel-related political messaging.

At the February 2026 Jewish candidate forum, Hilton spoke about his family's experience with antisemitism. He described learning as a child that his father, a Hungarian Olympic hockey player, had changed his Jewish-sounding name while participating in the 1936 Olympics in Germany.

Hilton said that experience was when he first understood anti-Jewish hatred and said he intended to fight for California's Jewish community.

Steve Hilton on Jewish Safety in California

Hilton has also made Jewish safety in California a prominent issue.

At the Jewish American Summit in Los Angeles in August 2026, Hilton said it was unacceptable for Jewish Californians to require additional security simply to attend community or family events because of threats of violence.

He said that, as governor, he would not accept a situation in which Jewish residents were afraid to publicly express their identity because of threats of violence.

Hilton has therefore connected his Israel position with a broader domestic policy of combating antisemitism and protecting Jewish communities.

Steve Hilton on Israel Compared With Xavier Becerra

Israel is also an area where Steve Hilton and Democratic opponent Xavier Becerra have expressed different positions during the 2026 California governor campaign.

Issue	Steve Hilton	Xavier Becerra
Israel	Strongly supportive	Supports Israel's security while criticizing aspects of the Israeli government's conduct
Gaza genocide characterization	Says no	Has taken a more critical position toward Israel's conduct in Gaza
BDS	Opposes BDS	Not participating in the February 2026 Jewish California forum; position should be assessed separately
California-Israel ties	Supports stronger economic and technological cooperation	Supports U.S.-Israel relations, while expressing criticism of Netanyahu's government
Antisemitism	Strongly emphasizes combating antisemitism	Supports protecting Jewish communities while emphasizing free expression

The two candidates therefore approach the Israel issue from different political perspectives. Hilton has emphasized strong support for Israel and opposition to BDS, while Becerra's public statements have placed greater emphasis on Israel's conduct in Gaza and the humanitarian consequences of the war.

Is Steve Hilton Pro-Israel?

Yes. Based on his documented 2026 statements, “pro-Israel” is a reasonable description of Hilton's position.

He has:

Supported California's economic and technological relationship with Israel.
Opposed BDS.
Promised legal action against California cities that boycott or divest from Israel.
Rejected describing Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide.
Described Israel's response to October 7 as legitimate self-defense.
Spoken strongly against antisemitism.
Promised to protect Jewish Californians from threats and violence.

At the same time, his public record does not answer every U.S. foreign-policy question involving Israel, particularly the exact level of American military aid or weapons transfers.

Steve Hilton Stance on Israel: Bottom Line

Steve Hilton has a strongly pro-Israel political position based on his public statements during the 2026 California governor campaign.

His clearest positions are support for Israel's security, opposition to BDS, support for California-Israel economic and technological cooperation, opposition to describing Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide, and strong opposition to antisemitism.

Hilton has also promised to use the California attorney general's office to challenge cities that participate in boycotts of Israel where he believes they violate state law.

The main caveat is that Hilton is a candidate for state office. His public record does not provide a detailed position on every aspect of U.S. foreign policy toward Israel. In particular, a specific position on U.S. weapons shipments or military aid has not been clearly documented.

For the SEO question “Does Steve Hilton support Israel?”, the answer is yes. For the more specific question “Does Steve Hilton support U.S. military aid to Israel?”, the available public record is less definitive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Steve Hilton support Israel?

Yes. Hilton has repeatedly expressed support for Israel and for California's economic, technological and political relationship with Israel.

Is Steve Hilton pro-Israel?

Yes. His 2026 public statements strongly support Israel and oppose efforts to boycott the country.

Does Steve Hilton support BDS?

No. Hilton opposes the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and has said he would challenge California cities that boycott or divest from Israel when doing so violates state law.

Does Steve Hilton think Israel is committing genocide in Gaza?

No. When asked the question by CalMatters in 2026, Hilton answered no and later described the characterization as offensive.

Does Steve Hilton support Israel's war in Gaza?

Hilton has defended Israel's military response following the October 7 attack as legitimate self-defense. His public comments do not establish a detailed position on every Israeli military operation.

Does Steve Hilton support Palestine?

His public record contains substantially less detail about Palestinian political issues than about Israel. No comprehensive public platform covering Palestinian statehood, Gaza reconstruction or Palestinian aid was located in the sources reviewed.

Does Steve Hilton support U.S. aid to Israel?

His overall position is strongly supportive of Israel, but a specific position on the amount or type of U.S. military aid to Israel has not been clearly documented.

Does Steve Hilton oppose "antisemitism"?

Yes. Combating antisemitism and protecting Jewish Californians have been prominent parts of his public statements during the 2026 campaign.

Would Steve Hilton protect California's relationship with Israel?

Yes. Hilton has said California should maintain and strengthen its economic and technological partnerships with Israel.

Home Karens State Palestine stance check CelebPolitics

Steve Hilton Stance on Israel: Does He Support Israel?