President Obama has yet to offer congratulations to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his convincing re-election win, and the White House is accusing the leader Wednesday of seeking to “marginalize Arab-Israeli citizens.”
Some prognosticators had predicted that Netanyahu and the Likud Party would lose to the center-left Zionist Union. Instead, Netanyahu appears poised to retain control of the Israeli government after an easier-than-expected win.
It was no secret that Obama hoped Netanyahu, arguably the most vocal critic of ongoing nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran, would lose.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Obama would reach out to Netanyahu in coming days. But Obama’s top spokesman criticized Netanyahu for accusing left-leaning groups of trying to mobilize Arab voters against his candidacy.
“The United States and this administration is deeply concerned about rhetoric that seeks to marginalize Arab-Israeli citizens,” Earnest said. “It undermines the values and Democratic ideals that have been important to our democracy and an important part of what binds the United States and Israel together.”
The Obama-Netanyahu relationship is at an all-time low after the prime minister addressed Congress earlier this month, against the wishes of the White House.
Rather than search for consensus after Netanyahu’s victory, however, the White House again highlighted concerns about the Israeli leader.
“Rhetoric that seeks to marginalize one segment of their population is deeply concerning and it is divisive and I can tell you that these are views the administration intends to communicate directly to the Israelis,” Earnest said.
Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday contacted Netanyahu to offer congratulations, Earnest added.
