UK Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted his congrats to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his victory Tuesday. So did Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. And Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who said “ Israel has no greater friend than Canada.”
But not U.S. President Barack Obama.
Obama’s delay led some to question whether Obama was just snubbing Netanyahu after a weeks-long feud over a potential nuclear deal with Iran.
Not so fast, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.
Secretary of State John Kerry telephoned Netanyahu Wednesday. Earnest said he anticipates Obama will also call Netanyahu “in the coming days.”
In the two previous Israeli elections, Earnest said Obama did not call Netanyahu until he was directed by the Israeli president to form a government. Earnest said it is possible a call could come sooner this time, but would not give an exact date.
But Earnest did say the U.S. will reevaluate its approach to “the situation moving forward” now that Netanyahu has changed his position in supporting a tw-state solution.
“It has been the policy of the United States for more than 20 years that a two-state solution is the goal of resolving the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinian people,” he said. “And that two-state solution has been pursuit of a democratic and Jewish state of Israel living side by side in peace and security with an independent and sovereign Palestinian state. That has been the policy of the United States under both Democratic and Republican presidents.”
That didn’t stop several Republican presidential hopefuls tweeted their congratulations too, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
“Congratulations once again to my friend, PM @netanyahu,” former presidential hopeful Mitt Romney tweeted. “May our nations' friendship also long endure.”
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