White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Monday that reports the U.S. governing is considering economic sanctions against Israel are “completely unfounded and without merit.”
In the past week, various media outlets have reported that Obama is weighing sanctions against Israel over its expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
Last week, Earnest was noncommittal on whether the administration was exploring economic penalties for Israel. Obama’s top spokesman changed his tune Monday, issuing a firm denial to the rumors.
Earnest provided no further details about any internal discussions on sanctions against Israel.
Some conservatives have jumped on the reports of sanctions to argue that Obama would rather go easy on Iran than America’s biggest ally in the Middle East. U.S. and Iranian officials have again extended nuclear negotiations over the objections of Republicans — and some Democrats — on Capitol Hill.
And the White House has called on lawmakers to hold off on additional sanctions against Iran until negotiations are completed.
