“We’ve made our point. The message has clearly been received,” a White House official said. “The next move is theirs, presumably after the new government has been formed.”
The White House doesn’t have a specific list of demands for Netanyahu, or a timeline to meet them. But after six years of doubting the sincerity of his commitment to a two-state solution and grumbling that he wasn’t doing enough to advance peace, now they say they’re looking for serious moves toward restarting the process.
“You sort of know by actions whether there’s an openness, or whether he’s backing up his words,” said one senior administration official.
Netanyahu may not be able to wait longer than September, when the next U.N. General Assembly meets, to prove himself to the White House. So far, administration officials insist they’ve still made no decisions about what to do when Palestinians make the renewed push they’ve promised.
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