White House Questions Israeli Leader’s Commitment to Peace

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference in Washington on March 2, 2015.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference in Washington on March 2, 2015.Pablo Martinez Monsivais—AP
By Sam Frizell

The White House expressed doubt Friday about Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, after Netanyahu twice reversed his stance this week before and after a bitter election fight.

“The divergent comments of the Prime Minister legitimately call into question his commitment to this policy principle and his lack of commitment to what has been the foundation of our policy-making in the region,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in comments reported by the New York Times.

Netanyahu, Earnest said, had raised questions about his “true view” on a two-state solution. “Words matter,” Earnest said.

Ahead of elections this week in which it appeared Netanyahu was close to being unseated, the Prime Minister said there would be no Palestinian state if he were reelected, changing a position he had taken years earlier. He then retracted his comments later in the week.

For the United States, a Palestinian state alongside Israel has been a central element of Middle East policy, and Netanyahu’s comments soured an already tenuous relationship with the White House and with President Obama.

Earnest called on Friday for a “careful reassessment of our decision-making moving forward when it comes to Mideast policy.”

Friday was the second day in a row the White House has expressed anger at Netanyahu’s comments. On Thursday, Obama told Netanyahu that the United States would have to “re-assess our options” after the Prime Minister’s comments on the two-state solution.

Scenes from Election Day in Israel

An Israeli soldier casts his ballot for the parliamentary election behind a mobile voting booth in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Migdalim, near Ariel, March 17, 2015.
An Israeli soldier casts his ballot for the parliamentary election behind a mobile voting booth in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Migdalim, near Ariel, March 17, 2015. Amir Cohen—Reuters
An Israeli soldier carries a mobile ballot box at a border police base in the West Bank near Nablus March 17, 2015.
An Israeli soldier carries a mobile ballot box at a border police base in the West Bank near Nablus March 17, 2015. Amir Cohen—Reuters
A woman waves an Israeli national flag outside a polling station in Tel Aviv, March 17, 2015.
A woman waves an Israeli national flag outside a polling station in Tel Aviv, March 17, 2015. Baz Ratner—Reuters
Voters wait in line to vote at a polling station for the Israeli general elections in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba, near Hebron,March 17, 2015.
Voters wait in line to vote at a polling station for the Israeli general elections in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba, near Hebron,March 17, 2015. Abir Sultan—EPA
Ultra-Orthodox Jews line up to vote in Bnei Brak, March 17, 2015.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews line up to vote in Bnei Brak, March 17, 2015.Oded Balilty—AP
Ultra orthodox Jewish rabbi Gershon Edelstein prepares to vote in Bnei Brak, March 17, 2015.
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish rabbi Gershon Edelstein prepares to vote in Bnei Brak, March 17, 2015. Oded Balilty—AP
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish couple prepare to vote in Bnei Brak, March 17, 2015.
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish couple prepare to vote in Bnei Brak, March 17, 2015. Oded Balilty—AP
A ultra-Orthodox Jewish man casts his ballot for the parliamentary election at a polling station in Jerusalem March 17, 2015.
A ultra-Orthodox Jewish man casts his ballot for the parliamentary election at a polling station in Jerusalem March 17, 2015. Ronen Zvulun—Reuters
An election campaign billboard shifts between images of Israel's Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog, left, and Likud Party leader and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, March 15, 2015.
An election campaign billboard shifts between images of Israel's Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog, left, and Likud Party leader and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, March 15, 2015.Oded Balilty—AP

Obama also appealed on Friday to Iranian youth, urging them to pressure their leaders to accept a deal over the country’s nuclear program, a deal Netanyahu opposes even as Iranian and western negotiators are still hammering out the details. The video marked the occasion of the Persian New Year, Nowruz, a celebration that Obama has used in the past to deliver message to the Iranian populace.

“For decades our nations have been separated by mistrust and fear,” Obama said. “A nuclear deal now can help open the door in the future for you, the Iranian people.”

-Additional reporting by Maya Rhodan

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