Newly re-elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tried to walk back his pre-election vow not to allow a Palestinian state. Netanyahu had emphasized his right-wing positions in the lead-up to the election, urging supporters to cancel out the votes of Arabs he said were heading to the polls “in droves.” A day before the election, when asked if he was ruling out establishment of a Palestinian state under his tenure, Netanahu replied, “Indeed.” But he tried to backtrack in an interview with NBC’s Andrea Mitchell.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “I haven’t changed my policy. I never retracted my speech in Bar-Ilan University six years ago calling for a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state. What has changed is the reality. Abu Mazen, the Palestinian leader, refuses to recognize the Jewish state, has made a pact with Hamas that calls for the destruction of the Jewish state. And every territory that is vacated today in the Middle East is taken up by Islamist forces. So —”

Andrea Mitchell: “But they are saying —”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “We want that to change, so we can realize a vision of real, sustained peace. And I don’t want a — I don’t want a one-state solution. I want a sustainable, peaceful two-state solution, but for that, circumstances have to change.”

The White House has said it will “evaluate” its path forward after Netanyahu’s pre-election dismissal of the two-state solution. President Obama called Netanyahu to congratulate him Thursday, two days after the election.