The White House issued a number of harsh criticisms towards newly reelected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, accusing the leader of seeking to "marginalize Arab-Israeli citizens" and even suggesting that the U.S. could reevaluate its support for Israel at the United Nations due to Netanyahu's change of course on Palestinian statehood.
Shortly before Tuesday's vote in Israel, in an apparent move to appease conservative voters, Netanyahu abandoned a prior commitment and ruled out the creation of an independent Palestinian state, much to the White House's dismay.
"The positions taken by the prime minister in the last days of the campaign have raised very significant substantive concerns that go far beyond just optics," said a senior administration official, adding that "we're going to have to broaden the spectrum of options we persue going forward," reported Politico.
The official said it was too soon to discuss an official policy response from Washington, but wouldn't rule out the possibility for a change in stance at the United Nations, where the U.S. has historically used its veto power to fight off any anti-Israel resolutions or attempts to give Palestinians statehood. The official said the administration is first waiting to see if Netanyahu reverses course.
Officials have hinted that one course of action would be to begin authorizing some of those U.N. resolutions or abstain from voting on them altogether, which would be a dramatic step for the White House, as Israel needs American support now more than ever.
In January, Palestinians joined the International Criminal Court, where they and are preparing to file their first war crimes case against Israel next month, according to CNN. Another resolution currently under consideration calls for a two-state solution based on Israel's 1967 borders, which Israel opposes.
"We are signaling that if the Israeli government's position is no longer to pursue a Palestinian state, we're going to have to broaden the spectrum of options we pursue going forward," the official added.
There's another issue that enraged the Obama administration. On election day, Netanyahu issued a 28-second video to warn that Israeli Arabs were being bussed to polling stations "in droves," reported the Guardian.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest condemned Netanyahu for his remarks, suggesting the prime minister was attempting to rally support by using divisive rhetoric.
"The United States and this administration is deeply concerned about rhetoric that seeks to marginalize Arab Israeli citizens. 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," Earnest said, according to the Guardian.
"Rhetoric that seeks to marginalize one segment of their population is deeply concerning, it is divisive, and I can tell you that these are views the administration intends to communicate directly to the Israelis."
Another official commented, "Given our own history we have a unique perspective on the idea that minorities' voting is not something to be condemned or feared," said one administration official, reported Haaretz.
