White House blasts Netanyahu over campaign comments

[mystery-ak]

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/236120-kerry-calls-netanyahu-to-congratulate-him

March 18, 2015, 01:55 pm
White House blasts Netanyahu over campaign comments

By David McCabe

The White House on Wednesday criticized Benjamin Netanyahu for comments the Israeli prime minister made about Arab-Israeli voters during the run-up to his stunning win in parliamentary elections.

“The United States and this administration is deeply concerned about rhetoric that seeks to marginalize Arab-Israeli citizens,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters. “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.”

“Rhetoric that seeks to marginalize one segment of their population is deeply concerning and it is divisive and I can tell you that these are views the administration intends to communicate directly to the Israelis," he added.

Right before Tuesday's elections, Netanyahu rallied conservative voters by saying that the left was trying to win by turning out Arab voters.

Netanyahu came back to claim victory after earlier polls had shown him in a tight race with his main opposition.

Earnest also said that Secretary of State John Kerry had called Netanyahu to congratulate him, adding that President Obama will call Netanyahu “in the coming days.”

Earnest said that in the past two Israeli elections, Obama has waited to call Netanyahu until after he was selected to establish a coalition. He said it is also possible that Obama will call Netanyahu earlier this time around.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that Kerry’s call was purely congratulatory.

“Given there is an ongoing government formation process, they did not discuss substantive issues,” she said.

Earnest said that he was not sure if Kerry had made the administration's concerns about Netanyahu's rhetoric known to him, and would not say whether the president plans to raise the topic when he calls the Israeli leader.

Netanyahu and the Obama administration have a contentious relationship.

Netanyahu opposes administration-backed talks with Iran over its nuclear program, and recently excoriated the negotiations in a speech before Congress.

[mystery-ak]

http://www.newsmax.com/PrintTemplate.aspx/?nodeid=630942


Newsmax
White House Challenges Netanyahu After Election Win
Wednesday, March 18, 2015 01:57 PM

 

The White House gave a tepid acknowledgement of Benjamin Netanyahu's re-election on Wednesday, stressing that his election pledge to block the creation of a Palestinian state runs against U.S. 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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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."