President Obama still isn’t clear on whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes in the idea of a Palestinian state, White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Friday.
“I would say that was not the result of the call,” Mr. Earnest said when asked if Mr. Obama found out where Mr. Netanyahu stands on the issue when the two spoke by phone Thursday.
Over the past 24 hours, Mr. Netanyahu has said he does, in fact, support a two-state solution after indicating days earlier a Palestinian state wouldn’t be established while he was prime minister.
In a series of interviews, Mr. Netanyahu has stressed he has not changed his position but was merely articulating the reality that circumstances in the region must change before a Palestinian state becomes a viable option.
His explanation apparently is not enough for Mr. Obama.
Mr. Netanyahu “was quite clear that he did not envision a scenario where a Palestinian state would be established while he was the prime minister of Israel,” Mr. Earnest said. “And that, I do think, calls into question his commitment to a policy objective that has been in place for a number of years now.”
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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