Common Core State Standard
SL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: An essay of a current news event is provided for discussion to encourage participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the article. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event within the news, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support. FOR THE WEEK OF MAR. 23, 2015 Israel votes to keep its prime minister, whose campaign tactics strain relations with U.S.
 Catch up on post-election developments and summarize key points from an article.
 Pick a quote from an Israeli or Palestinian (not an official) and tell how it makes you feel.
 Now look for Israel-related news from our country. It is mostly hopeful or discouraging about better U.S.-Israeli relations?
In a Mideast election with an impact on U.S. foreign relations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won a fourth term as head of Israel's government last week. Celebrations by his Likud Party supporters are counter-balanced by uneasiness among some Israelis over their economy and especially about relations with Palestinian citizens and neighbors. During a feisty, close campaign, Netanyahu offended many voters and alienated allies. On election day, for example, he urged supporters to vote because Arab citizens of Israel were "descending in droves on the polls." "An increasingly shrill campaign raised questions about his ability to heal Israel's internal wounds or better its standing in the world," The New York Times says in an election night analysis. The Washington Post refers to "cynical, divisive election-day tactics." Notably, Netanyahu promised that a Palestinian state wouldn't be established as long as he remained in office. After victory, the prime minister promptly backtracked with a “head-spinning pivot,” as he Washington Post put it. "I want a sustainable, peaceful two-state solution," he said. "But for that, circumstances have to change. . . . To make it achievable, then you have to have real negotiations with people who are committed to peace." He doesn't say he's ready to resume and hasn't proposed new ideas for seeking peace with Palestinians wanting ancestral land. In Washington, President Obama waited nearly two days before calling to congratulate the winner. America "needs to rethink our approach," the White House press secretary says. "And that's what we will do." For his part, the re-elected prime minister downplays U.S.-Israeli strains. "We'll work together," he says. "We have to."
Front Page Talking Points is written by
Alan Stamm for NIEonline.com, Copyright 2026
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White House says: "The president reaffirmed the United States' long-standing commitment to a two-state solution that results in a secure Israel alongside a sovereign and viable Palestine." – Statement about March 19 call to Netanyahu 
