The White House on Thursday warned it may withdraw crucial diplomatic cover for Israel at the United Nations, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied he had ruled out the creation of a Palestinian state.
Despite
Netanyahu's backtracking over his campaign promise, skeptical American
officials said the veteran Israeli leader would have to prove his
commitment to negotiations for a two-state solution.
Responding
to Netanyahu's last-minute campaign pledge not to allow a Palestinian
state, White House spokesman John Earnest said the Obama administration
was re-evaluating its stance at the United Nations.
"Steps
that the United States has taken at the United Nations had been
predicated on this idea that the two-state solution is the best
outcome," said spokesman Josh Earnest.
"Now
our ally in these talks has said that they are no longer committed to
that solution. That means we need to reevaluate our position in this
matter, and that is what we will do moving forward."
The
United States -- a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council --
has frequently opposed moves at the UN to recognize a Palestinian state,
saying that must be part of a negotiated peace deal.
It
has also shielded Israel from often Arab-led UN votes castigating the
Jewish state for various actions, including alleged human rights abuses.
Several
officials, speaking to the New York Times on condition of anonymity,
said the Obama administration might agree to a UN Security Council
resolution enshrining a two-state solution.
- All options open -
Asked
whether the US would remove its diplomatic cover at the UN, a senior US
official said that, while no decision has yet been made, "we haven't
taken the option off the table."
Palestinian
president Mahmud Abbas said it was clear a two-state solution would be
impossible with a new government led by Netanyahu, who toughened his
rhetoric in the final days of his campaign for re-election.
Obama
has yet to call Netanyahu to congratulate him on his victory, but the
Israeli leader emphatically denied setting himself in opposition to
years of US policy by going back on his commitment to seeking a
Palestinian state.
"I
didn't retract any of the things I said in my speech six years ago,
calling for a solution in which a demilitarized Palestinian state
recognizes a Jewish state. I said that the conditions for that, today,
are not achievable," Netanyahu told Fox News as he took to the US
airwaves.
Israel
would "need the recognition of (a) Jewish state and real security in
order to have a realistic two-state solution," he told NBC News, in his
first interview with US media since winning an unprecedented fourth term
in Tuesday's elections.
But
he insisted "you have to have real negotiations with people committed
to peace ... it's time we saw the pressure on the Palestinians to show
that they are committed too."
The
Palestinians would also need to cut ties with Hamas militants running
the Gaza Strip and engage in "genuine" peace talks, Netanyahu added.
Washington
brokered nine months of negotiations between Netanyahu's last
government and the Palestinians which collapsed late last year, amid
continued Israeli settlement building and the Palestinians move to join
international bodies.
"Netanyahu's
statements against a two-state solution and against a Palestinian
state... are proof, if correct, that there is no seriousness in the
(future) Israeli government about a political solution," Abbas said.
The
Palestinians would continue to push for legitimacy on the international
stage, Abbas said. "It is our right to go to anywhere in the world to
achieve international legitimacy," he said.
The Palestinians will formally join the International Criminal Court on April 1
and have vowed to seek action from the very first day for alleged
Israeli war crimes during last year's conflict in the Gaza Strip.
- Herzog in opposition -
Netanyahu's center-left challenger Isaac Herzog had campaigned on pledge to relaunch peace talks and mend ties with Washington.
Conceding
defeat, Herzog quickly ruled out any participation in a unity
government with Netanyahu, saying going into opposition was "the only
realistic option."
Results released by the Central Elections Committee on Thursday confirmed Likud had taken 30 of the 120 seats in parliament to 24 for the Zionist Union.
Right
wing and religious parties -- including the center-right Kulanu -- took
67 seats to 53 for the center-left and Arab parties.
The Joint Arab List made a strong showing, becoming the third-largest faction in parliament, with 13 seats.
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