Obama congratulates Netanyahu on election win

US President Barack Obama on Thursday called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to congratulate him on his recent election win, after a campaign that soured relations between the two allies. Obama spoke to the Israeli leader "to congratulate him on his party's success in winning a plurality of Knesset seats," the White House said. Ties have been tested by Netanyahu's pledge on the campaign trail to oppose the creation of a Palestinian state, which had been the starting