President Obama said Tuesday that he has a 'businesslike ' working relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu , but that the two men have virtually irreconcilable differences in their approaches to establishing a Palestinian state as a road to Middle East peace . 'We believe that two states is the best path forward for Israel 's security , for Palestinian aspirations , and for regional stability , ' Obama said during an afternoon joint press conference with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai . 'That 's our view , and that continues to be our view . ' Netanyahu , he said , 'has a different approach . ' 'And so this ca n't be reduced to a matter of , somehow , `` Let 's all hold hands and sing Kumbaya '' , ' the president told reporters in the East Room of the Whtie House . 'This is a matter of figuring out , `` How do we get through a real knotty policy difference that has great consequences for both countries and for the region ? '' ' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . NO KUMBAYA : Obama said Netanyahu would likely kill off any chance for a two-state solution in the Middle East , and it could n't be achieved simply by holding hands and 'singing ' for peace . Benjamin Netanyahu . TENSIONS : Israeli security forces stand guard following clashes with Palestinian youths during protests against Jewish settlements in the West Bank . Netanyahu declared in the final days before last week 's high-intensity elections that there would be no Paleestinian state as long as Israeli voters continued to give his Likud party enough seats in parliament to establish a governing majority and keep him as prime minister . ' I took him at his word , that that 's what he meant , ' Obama said , later saying of prospects for a two-state solution that 'that possibility seems very dim . ' 'We 'll continue to engage the Israeli government as well as the Palestinians , ' he insisted , 'and ask them – Where are they interested in going ? And how do they see this issue being resolved ? ' 'But what we ca n't do is pretend that there 's a possibility of something that 's not there . And we ca n't continue to premise our public diplomacy based on something that everybody knows is not going to happen , at least in the next several years . Netanyahu had said in 2009 that he would be willing to endorse a 'demilitarized ' Palestinian state as long as it recognized Israel 's right to exist . But his pledge barely a week ago seemed to erase that option . After the election , Netanyahu clarified his campaign promise about never allowing a Palestinian state to take root . ' I said that the conditions for that today are not achievable for a simple reason , ' he said during a Fox News Channel interview . 'Mahmoud Abbas , the leader of the Palestinians , rejects consistently the acceptance of a Jewish State . He 's made a pact with the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas that calls for our destruction . ' 'And the conditions in the Middle East has changed to the point where any territory you withdraw from is immediately taken out by Iranian backed terrorists or by ISIS . ' 'Right now we have to get the Palestinians to go back to the negotiating table , ' he added , 'break their pact with Hamas and accept the idea of a Jewish state . ' DISTRACTION : The president was in the East room with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai to talk about a potential troop withdrawal , but talk of Israel occupied nearly 20 minutes of the press conference . 'ASPIRATIONS ' OF MAHMOUD ABBAS : While Palestinian-aligned terrorists call for the destruction of Israel , Obama aims to create conditions for the Palestinian Authority 's peaceful coexistence with Israel . Obama declared on Tuesday that those conditions were unworkable . 'He pointed out that he did n't say `` never '' , ' the president said of Netanyahu 's apparent flip-flop . 'but that there would be a series of conditions in which a Palestinian state could potentially be created . ' 'But of course the conditions were such that they would be impossible to meet any time soon . ' Obama brushed off a follow-up question from a reporter about whether his administration would try to force the issue through the United Nations Security Council , where the U.S. has for decades blocked measures designed to establish a Palestinian state despite Israel 's objections . He said he would wait until Netanyahu assembled his new coalition government before decidign whetehr to take action . Obama also took pains to clarify that any reassessment of U.S.-Israeli relations would n't have an impact on defense arrangements with Tel Aviv . 'Our military and intelligence cooperation with Israel will continue – unabated , unaffected – and we are absolutely committed to ensure that the Israeli people are safe , ' he said , 'particularly from rocket attacks and terrorist attacks aimed on civilians . '
President said he takes Bibi at his word and believes he wo n't green-light a Palestinian state : 'That possibility seems very dim ' Would n't confirm that he 'll press the issue at the United Nations . Insisted that he has a 'businesslike ' relationship with the Israeli PM . But 'this ca n't be reduced to a matter of , somehow , `` Let 's all hold hands and sing Kumbayah '' ' Said a Palestinian state side-by-side with Israel remains 'best path forward for Israel 's security , for Palestinian aspirations , and for regional stability '