EU Still 'Committed' to Peace after Netanyahu Win, U.S. Gives Tepid Reaction

The EU congratulated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his election victory Wednesday but added it was committed to relaunching the Middle East peace process which he appeared to repudiate during the campaign.

"The EU is committed to working with the incoming Israeli government on a mutually beneficial relationship as well as on the re-launch of the peace process," EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

On the last day of campaigning and with polls suggesting he might lose, Netanyahu had said he would not accept the establishment of a Palestinian state, a key part of the two-state solution backed by the EU and the international community, and which he had accepted in 2009.

Mogherini's statement made no direct reference to the two-state solution itself, spelling out the aim differently.

"We are at a crucial moment, with many threats all over the Middle East," it said.

"The EU staunchly supports a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in the interest of the Israeli people, of the Palestinian people and of the whole region."

Mogherini said the 28-nation European Union would stand by Israel at a time when "more than ever, bold leadership is required from all to reach a comprehensive, stable and viable settlement of a conflict that has already deprived too many generations of peace and security".

"It's time to turn this page and I'm confident that we can work together with the international community for a solution that will guarantee peace and security in the Middle East."

Earlier this week, EU foreign ministers named Fernando Gentilini as the bloc's new special representative for the Middle East, filling a post vacant since early 2014 in the hope of getting the stalled peace process back on track.

The EU has been a major provider of aid to the Palestinian Authority but last year's bloody war in Gaza dented confidence, with some member states reluctant to provide more without progress on a lasting peace deal.

Mogherini has been criticized in Israel but she insists a two-state solution is the only way forward and has repeatedly condemned Israeli settlement building in the occupied territories as a threat to the peace process.

Later on Wednesday, the White House gave a tepid acknowledgment of Netanyahu's reelection, stressing that his election pledge to block the creation of a Palestinian state runs against U.S. policy.

After an election campaign that was marked by open hostility between U.S. President Barack Obama and Netanyahu, the White House said the president had not yet called the prime minister to congratulate him.

Instead, that job was left to Secretary of State John Kerry. "The president in the coming days will also call Prime Minister Netanyahu," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

Netanyahu had angered the White House during his reelection campaign by appearing before the U.S. Congress to mount a bid to kill a nascent nuclear deal with Iran that is a key goal of the Obama administration.

However, Washington said Wednesday that Netanyahu's victory will not hamper U.S. efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran.

The Israeli leader opposes any accommodation with Tehran and has powerful allies in Washington, but State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said: "We don't think his win has impacted the Iran negotiations, or will."

Tensions were deepened in the final hours before Tuesday's election when Netanyahu ruled out the creation of a Palestinian state, seemingly upending decades of international consensus.

The White House said that while security cooperation between the U.S. and Israel would continue, but Earnest added that "it continues to be the view of the president that a two state solution is the best way to address those tensions." 

"In the context of the recent election Prime Minister Netanyahu indicated a change in his position, based on those comments the United States will evaluate our approach to the situation."

The U.S. has until now played a key role in limiting diplomatic maneuvers that would isolate Israel at the United Nations and elsewhere. 

The White House also castigated Netanyahu's Likud party for urging supporters to match a large turn out by Arab Israelis.

"The right-wing government is in danger," a Facebook page belonging to Netanyahu warned during voting. "Arab voters are coming out in droves."

"The United States and this administration is deeply concerned by decisive 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.

"And I can tell you that these are views the administration intends to communicate directly to the Israelis."