Ambassador: Netanyahu didn’t say what Obama suggested he did

Israel’s ambassador to the United States suggested Sunday that President Obama had mischaracterized statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a possible two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.

{mosads}”We take him at his word when he said that it wouldn’t happen during his prime ministership, and so that’s why we’ve got to evaluate what other options are available to make sure that we don’t see a chaotic situation in the region,” Obama told The Huffington Post in an interview published Saturday.

He was referring to Netanyahu’s comments before last week’s parliamentary elections in Israel that he would not allow a two-state solution.

“He didn’t say what the president and others seem to suggest that he’s saying,” Ambassador Ron Dermer said on NBC’s “Meet The Press.”

He said that Netanyahu still supports the idea of a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the state of Israel. But he reiterated Netanyahu’s assertion that Israel believes that if Palestine were to achieve statehood now, it would be aligned with terrorist groups.

“Our concern, Chuck, is that a Palestinian state today would be a terrorist state,” he said. Netanyahu said last week that he worries foreign powers opposed to Israel might provide the Palestinians with weapons.

Dermer also said that Israel is hoping that the U.S. will not halt its opposition to a United Nations resolution recognizing a Palestinian state. The administration has suggested since last week that it might consider stopping its traditional opposition to the resolution.

“We hope that won’t happen,” Dermer said. “We know that the U.S. has stood for decades against all these anti-Israel resolutions at the United Nations, and we hope that policy continues.”

Netanyahu’s Likud party won the most seats in last week’s election. His victory will allow him to continue to be a powerful critic against the U.S.’s talks with Iran over Iran’s nuclear program.