OBAMA CRITICISES NETANYAHU’S ‘DIVISIVE RHETORIC’

Washington, 28 Jumadil Awwal 1436/18 March 2015 (MINA) – The US has criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following his re-election victory for abandoning his commitment to negotiate for a Palestinian state and for what it called “divisive” campaign rhetoric towards minority Arab voters.

In its first public response to Netanyahu’s victory, the White House said on Wednesday that it’s “deeply concerned” about divisive language emanating from Netanyahu’s Likud Party, Al Jazeera quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

Even as President Barack Obama’s administration congratulated Netanyahu for his party’s decisive win, the White House signaled its deep disagreements with Netanyahu will persist on issues ranging from Middle East peacemaking to Iran nuclear talks.

In the final days of campaigning, Netanyahu backtracked on his support for eventual creation of a Palestinian state – the cornerstone of more than two decades of peace efforts – and promised to go on building illegal settlements on occupied land.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest reaffirmed Obama’s commitment to a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict and said that based on Netanyahu’s comments, “the United States will evaluate our approach to this situation moving forward”.

Netanyahu’s insistence that there will be no Palestinian state while he holds office, seen as a manoeuvre to mobilise his base when his re-election prospects were flagging, drew criticism from the UN and European governments.

Al Jazeera’s Patty Culhane, reporting from Washington, said: “Many people are saying that it’s a kind of threat to the prime minister.”

“They’re saying that the US could go to the UN security council, or not block action against Israel in the International Criminal Court.” (T/P001/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)