'Israel's staunchest ally' - White House chief demands end to 50 years of Israeli occupation.

'Israel's staunchest ally' - White House chief demands end to 50 years of Israeli occupation. (Trust).

The United States expects the next Israeli government to end nearly 50 years of occupation and clear the way for a Palestinian state, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough told Jewish Americans on Monday.

To cheers from the liberal Jewish group J Street, McDonough vowed to safeguard Israel and criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's abandonment of a Palestinian state in the run-up to his re-election on March 17.

Netanyahu is working to form Israel's next coalition government.

One of President Barack Obama's closest advisers, McDonough said a separate state is the best guarantee of Israel's long-term security.

"An occupation that has lasted for almost 50 years must end, and the Palestinian people must have the right to live in and govern themselves in their own sovereign state," McDonough said.

Palestinians seek a state in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, lands Israel captured in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

"In the end, we know what a peace agreement should look like. The borders of Israel and an independent Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps," McDonough said. Hmmm........A scorpion does not sting because it wants to be a bad boy; it does so in accordance with its nature. Read the full story here.