The rift is “not a matter of personal pique,” Mr. McDonough said, but a fundamental difference on policy. He said the United States “will never stop” working for a two-state solution.

But in a 35-minute speech, Mr. McDonough did not hint at any new action the United States would take as a result of Mr. Netanyahu’s comments, including whether it would back a United Nations Security Council resolution pressing a two-state solution based on Israel’s 1967 borders and mutually agreed exchanges of territory. He did, however, say such a solution should be part of any peace agreement, under which, Mr. McDonough said, “an occupation that has lasted almost 50 years must end.”

The two-state solution “remains our goal today, because it is the only way to secure Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state,” Mr. McDonough said. “We will look to the next Israeli government to match words with action.”