Obama says Netanyahu's 'pre-election stance on Palestinian state' leaves little room for serious talks

Day after re-elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backtracked from his pre-election stance on the creation of a separate Palestinian state, U.S. President Barack Obama has reportedly gone on record to say that he took Netanyahu "at his word" that he cannot support a separate Palestinian state alongside Israel.

While campaigning for Tuesday's election, Netanyahu had told voters that he was against a "two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," which had served as the cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East for two decades, reported The Washington Post.

However, after winning the election the newly-elected leader walked back on those comments and said that he would still be open to the creation of a Palestinian state but that "circumstances have to change" before that would be possible.

Commenting on the change in stance, Obama made it clear that the U.S. was still reassessing its relationship with its long-time ally based on Netanyahu's pre-election stance in order to avoid a "chaotic situation" in the region.

Obama added that he had made it clear during a congratulatory call to Netanyahu on Thursday by saying that given his pre-election statement, it would be difficult to "find a path where people are seriously believing that negotiations are possible.