U.S. Says Israel's New Government Raises 'Legitimate Questions'

In a very laconic statement, U.S. State Department deputy spokesman says Israeli coalition will be judged by its actions.

Barak Ravid May 25, 2016

Just hours after the signing of an agreement between the Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu, the U.S. responded to the expanding of Israel's governing coalition. In a very laconic statement, the State Department said that the makeup of the new coalition raises questions about the direction of Israeli policy.

"We have also seen reports from Israel describing it as the most right-wing coalition in Israel's history and we also know that many of its ministers have said they oppose a two-state solution," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters. "This raises legitimate questions about the direction it may be headed in ... and what kind of policies it may adopt."
Toner however added that the United States will judge the new government based on its actions.

The Prime Minister's Office refused to respond to the comments by the State Department deputy spokesman.

The public American message about the composition of the Israeli coalition came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's efforts to soothe the international community regarding the new government's policy. Netanyahu spoke almost every day in the past week about the new government's commitment to the peace process and about his desire to resume the negotiations with the Palestinians.

read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.721485