There are fresh signs of the strain between the White House and Israel.  US President Barack Obama’s top aide Denis McDonough told attendees at a pro-Israel conference that Israel must bring an end to almost five decades of occupation and get out of the way of an independent Palestine.

“An occupation that has lasted for almost 50 years must end, and the Palestinian people must have the right to live in and govern themselves in their own sovereign state,” the White House Chief of Staff told some 3,000 people at the annual event hosted by the lobbying group called J Street. 

Just prior to last week’s Israeli election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that a Palestinian state wouldn’t happen on his watch.  After getting the most votes, Bibi walked that back and claimed he still supported the Two-State solution.  The White House’s trust and patience in Netanyahu is running thin.

“We cannot simply pretend that those comments were never made, or that they don’t raise questions about the prime minister’s commitment to achieving peace through direct negotiations,” McDonough said.  He added that the Obama administration is planning to reevaluate its policy toward Israel and the Palestinian territories.