reelection on Wednesday, stressing that his election pledge to block
the creation of a Palestinian state runs against US policy.
After an election campaign that was marked by open hostility between
Obama and Netanyahu, the White House said the president had not yet
called the prime minister to congratulate him.
Instead, that job was left to Secretary of State John Kerry. "The
president in the coming days will also call Prime Minister Netanyahu,"
said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.
Netanyahu had angered the White House during his reelection campaign
by appearing before the US Congress to mount a bid to kill a nascent
nuclear deal with Iran that is a key goal of the Obama administration.
Tensions were deepened in the final hours before Tuesday's election
when Netanyahu ruled out the creation of a Palestinian state,
seemingly upending decades of international consensus.
The White House said that while security cooperation between the US
and Israel would continue, but Earnest added that "it continues to be
the view of the president that a two state solution is the best way to
address those tensions."
"In the context of the recent election Prime Minister Netanyahu
indicated a change in his position, based on those comments the United
States will evaluate our approach to the situation."
The US has until now played a key role in limiting diplomatic
maneuvers that would isolate Israel at the United Nations and
elsewhere.
The White House also castigated Netanyahu's Likud party for urging
supporters to match a large turn out by Arab Israelis.
"The right-wing government is in danger," a Facebook page belonging to
Netanyahu warned during voting. "Arab voters are coming out in
droves."
"The United States and this administration is deeply concerned by
decisive rhetoric that seeks to marginalize Arab-Israeli citizens,"
Earnest said.
"It undermines the values and democratic ideals that have been
important to our democracy and an important part of what binds the
United States and Israel together.
"And I can tell you that these are views the administration intends to
communicate directly to the Israelis."
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