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Obama to 'reassess' Israel relationship
[EDITION.CNN] President Barack ObamaI bowled a 129. It’s like — it was like Special Olympics, or something... told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the United States would "reassess" aspects of its relationship with Israel after Netanyahu's provocative statements leading up to Tuesday's Israeli election. The phone call Thursday was officially described as a message of congratulations on Netanyahu's victory, but it also carried a serious warning after the prime minister opposed the creation of a Paleostinian state in the last days of his campaign. "The President told the Prime Minister that we will need to re-assess our options following the Prime Minister's new positions and comments regarding the two state solution," according to a White House official. According to an official statement put out after the call, the president also emphasized the United States' "long-standing commitment to a two-state solution" during their conversation. Earlier Thursday, Netanyahu walked back his disavowal of a two-state solution, a position he endorsed in an effort to appeal to right-wing voters with polls showing him facing tough competition. U.S. officials had already said that they have been waiting to see if Netanyahu would stand behind the campaign comments nixing a Paleostinian state as he moves toward forming a governing coalition. It took two days for Netanyahu's about face. "I don't want a one-state solution. I want a sustainable, peaceful two-state solution," Netanyahu said Thursday in an interview with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell. "I haven't changed my policy." Posted by: Fred 2015-03-20 |
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