Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories ‘must end’ – White House chief of staff

US officials continue to maintain that American policy towards Israel will undergo changes in the wake of pre-election comments made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he stated that no Palestinian state would be established on his watch.

Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories has lasted for nearly five decades and “must end,” White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said in a Monday address to the left-leaning Jewish American lobby group J Street.

“Israel cannot maintain military control of another people indefinitely,” he said. “An occupation that has lasted for almost 50 years must end, and the Palestinian people must have the right to live in and govern themselves in their own sovereign state.”

McDonough reiterated America’s long-standing support for a two-state solution to the impasse between Israelis and Palestinians – an agreement that would be based on 1967 lines and include mutually agreed land swaps. However, he said Netanyahu’s comments have cast doubt upon Israel’s commitment to such an agreement, despite the prime minister’s attempts to backtrack in the wake of his re-election on March 17.

“We cannot simply pretend that those comments were never made, or that they don’t raise questions about the prime minister’s commitment to achieving peace through direct negotiations,” McDonough told the crowd, as quoted by the Guardian.

According to Haaretz, McDonough – one of Obama’s close advisers – did not detail just how US policy would change over the coming months, but he did reject the notion that US reaction to Netanyahu’s comments is based on personal feelings of anger. Netanyahu has had a troubled relationship with President Barack Obama since he came into office, and the White House was widely believed to have preferred a new leader to take the reins in Israel.

READ MORE: Israel, US ‘boycott’ UN session on Gaza conflict

McDonough said US commitment to Israel’s security and military will remain. Several reports over the past week have suggested that the US could stop shielding Israel from resolutions at the United Nations that seek to recognize a Palestinian state or outline the parameters of a two-state deal.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Israel’s Army Radio, US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro also said America’s approach to the country would be re-evaluated – again pointing to Netanyahu’s comments.

“This was not Israel’s stance until those comments. It is confusing and raises doubts regarding Israel’s true stance,” Shapiro said, as quoted by Jewish news website JP Updates. “The question we are still focusing on is how to progress towards the solution of two states for two nations.”

“I cannot deny that we have serious issues with some statements said during the elections season. One of them is the shirking of a ‘Palestinian’ state. We believe that it is the only solution that will safeguard a Jewish and democratic Israel. Netanyahu said that he will not lend a hand to the establishment of a ‘Palestinian’ state so long as he is Prime Minister,” Shapiro said.

Netanyahu has tried to walk back multiple comments since his victory last week. He has denied changing his position on Palestinian statehood, saying he actually meant that he doesn’t believe the possibility for a Palestinian state exists in the current political climate. Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer also said that Netanyahu’s comments were misinterpreted.

In an interview with The Huffington Post, President Obama himself stated that change could be coming, adding that the US is “evaluating” its policy based on the prime minister’s statements.

“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,” Obama said.

“We can’t just in perpetuity maintain the status quo, expand settlements. That’s not a recipe for stability in the region.”

Obama confirms ‘evaluating options’ after Netanyahu’s ‘no Palestinian state’ pledge

Since Netanyahu apparently meant what he said in announcing that there would be no Palestinian state on his watch, the White House is re-evaluating its policy towards Israel and seeking other option to avoid chaos in the region, the US President has said.

Commenting on the Israeli elections for the first time after PM Netanyahu’s victory, US president Barack Obama made it clear that the US supports the two-state solution in the Israeli conflict despite the PM’s strong pre-election rhetoric.

The 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,” US President said in his interview with Huntington Post.

The US president said that he had been “evaluating” his policy towards Israel in the wake of Benjamin Netanyahu’s re-election and campaign statements. The day before the March 17 elections Netanyahu made it clear that he wouldn’t allow the creation of a Palestinian state.

“I indicated to [Netanyahu] 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,” Obama said. “We indicated that…[this] kind of rhetoric was contrary to what is the best of Israel’s traditions.”

Although Netanyahu tried to soften his rhetoric after the elections, Obama apparently thinks that he meant what he said initially, so the White House is now considering other options available to make sure situation in the region does not become “chaotic.”

“We take him at his word when he said that it wouldn’t happen during his prime ministership,” Obama stated.

Obama said that his team will take part in “close consultation” with the Knessett as Netanyahu forms his new coalition government. Meanwhile the US leader warned that continued construction of Israeli settlements is “unsustainable” for the status quo. “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.”

Keeping Israel safe involves a tense string of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, which Israel and Netanyahu in particular have always opposed.

But Obama doesn’t think that Netanyahu’s reelection will have any “significant impact” on the ongoing negotiations process, despite there being a “skepticism in Israel generally about Iran.” The bigger challenge for Obama will be to show not just the American people or the Israeli people but the whole world that there are “mechanisms in place that will prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon.”