President Obama called Benjamin Netanyahu to congratulate him on re-election, the White House announced Thursday afternoon. Netanyahu's right-wing Likud Party won a plurality of seats in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, two days ago.
Netanyahu took a hard right-wing stance in the days leading up to Tuesday's election, exacerbating already heightened tensions between Israel and the United States. His declaration that there would be no Palestinian state while he remains in office prompted the White House to call his remarks "deeply concerning" — though Netanyahu himself has already walked back from that pronouncement.