Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he did not expect to come under pressure from the United States over the Middle East peace strategy of his government. "I think you are talking about something that I doubt existed for any length of time in the past and which I am convinced does not exist today," Netanyahu told reporters in reply to a question about possible U.S. pressure.
Netanyahu has shied away from endorsing the U.S.-backed goal of creating a Palestinian state alongside Israel which U.S. President Barack Obama reaffirmed at a news conference on Tuesday. Netanyahu played down any notion of friction with Obama, saying the U.S. and Israel shared mutual interests and values, and ties between the two allies were especially strong.