Obama-Netanyahu rift widens over Iran and Palestinian statehood

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's stunning victory in Tuesday's Israeli election is a major setback for peace process  as he assured his electorate on the day of elections that  there would be no Palestinian state if he secures a third consecutive win.

With this outcome,a new chapter of rift has opened between U.S. and Israeli leaders over Palestinian statehood and Netanyahu's stiff opposition to Iran-US nuclear deal.

Actually Israel is concerned over increased Iranian role in  the fighting to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria  with the support of US led coalition bombarding on key ISIS strategic bases.Even  Tehran managed  to keep President Bashar al-Assad in power throughout the country’s four-year civil war. While Israel also believed that Iranian-backed Hezbollah supported  Houthi rebels-a Zaidi Shia group to control Yemen .

On the contrary,the White House said the United States will re-evaluate the best way to bring about a two- state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's election victory. 

White House further stressed that Netanyahu's election pledge to block the creation of a Palestinian state runs against US policy.

World leaders like UK Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted his congrats to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his victory and  Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who said “ Israel has no greater friend than Canada but US President Barack Obama had not yet called Netanyahu rather avoided to congratulate the new Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest assured that "The president in the coming days will also call Prime Minister Netanyahu."

Israel is the America’s strongest and most stable ally but Netanyahu early this month  infuriated the White House when he delivered an explosive speech to the U.S. Congress criticizing nuclear deal with Iran.Consequently,47 Republican senators wrote to the Iranian leadership to tell them that Congress will need to approve any deal Obama may make with Tehran over its nuclear program.

The US State Department clearly said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's victory in the Israeli election will not hamper US efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran.

   "We've been long familiar with the views of the prime minister on Iran. We don't think that his win has impacted the Iran negotiations, or will," said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

 US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Lausanne for talks with his Iranian counterpart  to reach a framework accord to rein in Iran's suspect nuclear program before a March 31 deadline.

The Israel vote also reflected the Israelis skepticism over any efforts to find peace with the Palestinians.

With the massive support of ultra-hawkish, Netanyahu is set to  become  the country's longest -serving premier.  Likud said in a statement that Netanyahu intended to form a new government within weeks and negotiations were alreadyunderway with leaders of smaller parties he saw as likely coalition partners.The Joint List of Arab parties emerged as the third- largest party with 14 mandates in the election in which 65.7  per cent of the nearly 5.89 million eligible voters participated.

"Against all odds, we achieved a great victory for the Likud," Netanyahu told supporters while declaring victory for his Likud party.

 "I am proud of the people of Israel, who in the moment of truth knew how to distinguish between what is important and what is peripheral, and to insist on what is important," the 65-year-old premier, known for his hawkish views, said.

 According to final results, Netanyahu's ruling Likud party won 30 seats in the 120-member Parliament -- the Knesset, comfortably defeating the Zionist Union led by Isaac Herzog on 24 seats in a mandate considered a clear victory in the fractured Israeli polity.

EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini has congratulated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his election victory but stressed the need  for the  peaceful resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict 

 "The EU is ready to work with both sides and the  international community, including partners in the Middle East region, to see the State of Israel and an independent,democratic, contiguous, sovereign and viable State of Palestine, living side by side in peace and security and mutual recognition," it added.