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 In an interview with the Huffington Post, Obama also scolded
Netanyahu over his remarks about Arab Israelis voting, making clear
that the deep rift in relations between Israel and the United
States, its most important ally, is not ending anytime soon.
In the interview, conducted on Friday and published on Saturday,
Obama described his Thursday phone call with Netanyahu, two days
after the Israeli leader was re-elected.
"I did indicate to him that we continue to believe that a two-state
solution is the only way for the long-term security of Israel, if it
wants to stay both a Jewish state and democratic," Obama said, in
his first public comments on the issue.
"And I indicated to him that given his statements prior to the
election, it is going to be hard to find a path where people are
seriously believing that negotiations are possible."
The worst crisis in decades in U.S.-Israeli relations was worsened
by Netanyahu’s declaration just before Tuesday's election that there
would be no Palestinian state on his watch. Netanyahu sought on
Thursday to backtrack from that.
"Well, we take him at his word when he said that it wouldn't happen
during his prime ministership, and so that's why we've got to
evaluate what other options are available to make sure that we don't
see a chaotic situation in the region," said Obama, whose
administration sponsored failed talks aimed at creating a
Palestinian state that would exist peacefully side-by-side with
Israel.
The White House had said after Obama's call on Thursday that the
president had told Netanyahu Washington would "reassess" its options
on U.S.-Israel relations and Middle East diplomacy.
In the interview, Obama also expressed dismay over Netanyahu's
Election Day warning to his supporters about Arab Israeli voters
going to the polls "in droves."
"We indicated that that kind of rhetoric was contrary to what is the
best of Israel's traditions, that although Israel was founded based
on the historic Jewish homeland and the need to have a Jewish
homeland, Israeli democracy has been premised on everybody in the
country being treated equally and fairly," Obama said.
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Obama underscored his support for Israel's security, saying he would
make sure that military and intelligence cooperation continues in
order to keep the Israeli people safe.
"But we are going to continue to insist that, from our point of
view, the status quo is unsustainable. And that while taking into
complete account Israel's security, we can't just in perpetuity
maintain the status quo, expand settlements. That's not a recipe for
stability in the region," Obama said, referring to the current state
of affairs with the Palestinians.
The United States provides $3 billion in military aid annually.
Netanyahu's tense relations with Obama have been strained over U.S.
efforts to reach an international agreement with Iran to curb
Tehran's nuclear program. Ties worsened when Netanyahu accepted a
Republican invitation to speak to the U.S. Congress two weeks before
the Israeli election to criticize Obama's quest for such a deal.
Democrats assailed the speech as an insult to the presidency and a
breach of protocol.
(Reporting by Will Dunham; Editing by Frances Kerry)
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