US weighs supporting Palestinian state bid

Obama says Netanyahu has dimmed hope of achieving negotiated solution

US President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that the United States is weighing whether to back Palestinian efforts to seek UN recognition for an independent state, and that recent remarks by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dim hope for a negotiated two-state solution.

Obama's comments at the White House did little to repair rocky US-Israeli relations. Netanyahu is feuding with the White House over an emerging nuclear deal with Iran, and has also come under fire for comments he made in the final days of Israel's election last week.