Washington – President Barack Obama’s chief of staff rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempts to distance himself from his comments rejecting Palestinian statehood, telling an Israel advocacy group Monday that the U.S. can’t just overlook what Netanyahu said on the eve of his re-election.
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In a speech to J Street, an Israel advocacy group that is sharply critical of Netanyahu, White House chief of staff Denis McDonough also warned Israel against annexing the West Bank, where Palestinians hope to establish their future state. He said Netanyahu’s prediction that a Palestinian state wouldn’t come about on his watch were “so very troubling” and called into question Netanyahu’s broader commitment to the two-state solution the U.S. and Israel have officially supported for years.
“We cannot simply pretend that these comments were never made,” McDonough said.
McDonough’s critique of the Israeli leader came as both Israelis and Palestinians are closely watching to see how U.S. policy will change in practical terms after Netanyahu’s success in the elections. Obama has said the U.S. must reevaluate its approach to pursuing Mideast peace because of Netanyahu’s comments, and has entertained speculation the U.S. will be less willing to come to Israel’s defense in the United Nations. The U.S. has voted against U.N. resolutions supporting the establishment of a Palestinian state, insisting that is a matter to be negotiated in peace talks.
On Monday, Netanyahu apologized to Israel’s Arab citizens for another set of remarks that offended members of the community and drew additional U.S. criticism. Netanyahu said he never intended to offend the country’s Arab-Israeli minority, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether that apology would placate those in Israel and elsewhere who took offense.
Obama’s decision to dispatch his chief of staff to speak to J Street just days after the election was perceived as another sign the Obama administration intends to take a tougher tack toward Netanyahu despite its insistence that the U.S.-Israeli relationship is still strong.
McDonough received a standing ovation when he called out Israel’s government for ongoing construction of settlements in the West Bank. He says an occupation lasting more than 50 years must end. He said Israel cannot control another people forever, warning that such policies would contribute to Israel’s “total isolation” from the international community.
“An occupation that has lasted more than 50 years must end,” McDonough said.
who cares what the white house wants? let them send useless American soldiers to another primitive and STILL lose.
So another COS who comes and goes is the voice of the American people, every dog has its day and one day this Nigerian in the white house will have his
Hopefully the next president will undo all the trouble this Arab loving self absorbed looser when he leaves in 1 year
Next election vote republican!
People, We all might be very upset with the white house but use your brains and watch what you say.
This is the internet. It is like being in the middle of the street. You call the president a nigerian, that’s like calling someone down the block the N word. If comes afterward to beat you up, you lose the right to call him an antisemite.
Yaakov Avinu may not have respected Eisav but he knew how to speak to him.
…while the US CAN and DOES ignore all the arab leaders’ real incitement which has deadly results!
We can not take them seriously.
Bibi is right! Israel is and should always be a Jewish state, there is nothing wrong with what he said.
And we can also NOT ignore that in all negotiations with all former presidents and former Prime Ministers of Israel as well as representatives of the Arabs living in Israel there was NOT EVEN ONE person who ever mentioned going back to the 1967 borders except for Obuma. THE ENTIRE WORLD and most importantly ALL AMERICANS AND THE ENTIRE STATE OF ISRAEL, should NEVER IGNORE nor forget that. Nor should we forget that as soon as he said that, he said he didn’t mean that, and then of course we all see that yes he did mean that.