Netanyahu: I thought apology to Biden was sufficient
Bibi says apology for ill-timed Jerusalem construction announcement coordinated with Biden
Speaking to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Netanyahu said he believed the apology was adequate especially as it was personally coordinated with Biden himself.
The PM's remarks came several hours after he was harshly reprimanded on the phone by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Following the crisis vis-à-vis the US Administration, Netanyahu decided to convene the forum of top seven government ministers Saturday night to discuss the issue.
In his conversation with Italy's and Germany's leaders, Netanyahu emphasized that Israel's construction policy in Jerusalem has not changed from what it was under previous governments.
He added that any peace initiative ever proposed by Israel or the US always stipulated that Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem, such as Gilo, Ramot, and Ramat Shlomo, will remain under Israeli sovereignty.
The prime minister also said that he is working to formulate new procedures in order to prevent "surprises" such as the east Jerusalem construction announcement, which coincided with Vice President Biden's visit to Israel this past week.
In an interview with CNN, Friday Secretary of State Clinton said the move was "insulting" to the US.
"We have to make clear to our Israeli friends and partner that the two-state solution which we support, which the prime minister himself said he supports, requires confidence-building measures on both sides," she said.
