White House chief of staff Denis McDonough Monday told a liberal advocacy group that President Obama could not ignore Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pre-election suggestion that he would not recognize a Palestinian state, even though the leader later walked back the comments.
“We cannot simply pretend that these comments were never made,” McDonough said at the annual J Street conference, addressing the left-leaning audience amid the simmering Obama-Netanyahu feud.
Ahead of his decisive re-election, Netanyahu said he would not support a two-state solution in the current environment. After winning the contest, he reversed and said he was open to a two-state blueprint, with conditions.
In recent days, the White House has chosen to focus solely on Netanyahu’s pre-election comments.
“America’s commitment to a two-state solution is fundamental to U.S. foreign policy,” McDonough said Monday. “It’s been the goal of Republican and Democratic presidents, and it remains our goal today because it is the only way to secure Israel’s future as a Jewish and Democratic state.”
McDonough’s remarks represent the latest jab by the Obama White House at Netanyahu.
Earlier Monday, Netanyahu apologized for denouncing the mobilization of Israeli-Arab voters. Prior to the election he suggested outside groups tried to use the Arab voting bloc to defeat him.
The White House called his apology “appropriate” on Monday but declined to issue a new show of support for the leader.
