Recent reports have come to light that indicate the White House is prepared to impose sanctions on long-time ally Israel.
When pressed by Fox News' Ed Henry, White House spokesman Josh Earnest refused to provide a direct answer.
"I’m not going to talk about any sort of internal deliberations inside the administration," Earnest said. "Israel is a close and strategic partner of the United States of America."
Earnest further dodged saying, "and I don’t need to remind you of the strong and unshakable bonds that exist between the United States and Israel, and the United States’ exceedingly strong commitment to the security of the nation of Israel."
"That said, we have also been crystal clear about our view of settlement activity, that view has not changed," Earnest said. "We believe that settlements are illegitimate, and we have deep concerns about highly contentious planning and construction activities" in East Jerusalem and the West Bank."
"So very clearly you’re not denying sanctions are on the table, even against an ally," Henry replied.
"I’m very clearly not denying that we have strong concerns about settlement activity that’s underway in Israel," Earnest responded.