Israel must end its 50-year occupation of the Palestinian territories, Barack Obama’s White House has said.

In a speech on Monday, the White House chief of staff Denis McDonough called into question the Israeli government’s commitment to finding a peaceful solution to the Middle East conflict.

“Israel cannot maintain military control of another people indefinitely,” he told a meeting of liberal American pro-Israel lobbyists, J-Street. “An occupation that has lasted for almost 50 years must end.” Mr McDonough, the most senior official in the US president’s team, was highly critical of earlier comments made Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which the country’s leader indicated he was not interested in working towards Palestinian sovereignty.

The White House comments are the latest salvo from the United States government in what appears to be a noticeable cooling of relations between the two countries.

“After the election, the prime minister said that he had not changed his position, but for many in Israel and in the international community, such contradictory comments call into question his commitment to a two-state solution, as did his suggestion that the construction of settlements has a strategic purpose of dividing Palestinian communities and his claim that conditions in the larger Middle East must be more stable before a Palestinian state can be established,” the chief of staff said.

“We cannot simply pretend that those comments were never made, or that they don’t raise questions about the prime minister’s commitment to achieving peace through direct negotiations.”

The latest statement appears to be a rejection of an attempted about-face by the Israeli prime minister, who attempted to downplay his earlier comments after US criticism.

In pictures: Israel election Show all 21 1 /21 In pictures: Israel election In pictures: Israel election Israel election Benjamin Netanyahu prays at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem following Likud's victory in Israel's general election Getty Images In pictures: Israel election Israel election The motorcade carrying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drives across the plaza before the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City EPA In pictures: Israel election Israel election Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kisses his wife Sara as he claims victory in Tel Aviv Getty Images In pictures: Israel election Israel election Isaac Herzog, right, and Tzipi Livni of the Zionist Union party make statements in their headquarters on their party's future role following its decisive loss in the Israeli general election EPA In pictures: Israel election Israel election Co-leader of the Zionist Union party, Israeli Labour Party leader Isaac Herzog, delivers a speech as he reacts to exit poll figures, in Tel Aviv Getty Images In pictures: Israel election Israel election Supporters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrate as election results come in at his election campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv Getty Images In pictures: Israel election Israel election Supporters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party react to exit poll figures Getty Images In pictures: Israel election Israel election Likud Party supporters celebrate after the exit polls were announced, at the party's headquarters in Tel Aviv Getty Images In pictures: Israel election Israel election A screen displays exit poll results showing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin's Netanyahu Likud party and Isaac Herzog's centre-left Zionist Union neck-and-neck, in Tel Aviv Getty Images In pictures: Israel election Israel election Copies of ballot papers and campaign posters for Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party lie on the ground in the aftermath of the country's parliamentary elections AFP/Getty In pictures: Israel election Israel election Vandalized posters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu near a polling station in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba, near Hebron EPA In pictures: Israel election Israel election A woman waves an Israeli national flag outside a polling station in Tel Aviv In pictures: Israel election Israel election Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu casts his ballot for the parliamentary election at a polling station in Jerusalem In pictures: Israel election Israel election Israeli MP and chairperson of center-right Yesh Atid party, Yair Lapid, takes a selfie with his wife Lihi (R) and his supporters, outside a polling station in Tel Aviv In pictures: Israel election Israel election Ultra orthodox Jews line up to vote in Bnei Brak In pictures: Israel election Israel election Israeli Arab political leader and head of a joint list of Arab parties, Ayman Odeh, casts his ballot with his children at a polling station in the coastal city oh Haifa In pictures: Israel election Israel election Isaac Herzog (standing in foreground on L), co-leader of the centre-left Zionist Union party, poses next to his wife Michal as he casts his vote for the parliamentary election at a polling station in Tel Aviv In pictures: Israel election Israel election An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man casts his ballot at a polling station in Jerusalem In pictures: Israel election Israel election An Israeli ceections committee worker prepare ballots at a polling station for the Israeli general elections in the city of Haifa In pictures: Israel election Israel election A supporter of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, or Sephardic Torah Guardians, holds a campaign poster depicting the party's spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, in Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv. Israel's Sephardic community, Jews of Middle Eastern descent, have traditionally been the Likud party's backbone. But political analysts say Sephardim may throw their support elsewhere in the March 17 election, angry over the high cost of living and housing prices In pictures: Israel election Israel election Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, visits a construction site in Har Homa, east Jerusalem, a day ahead of legislative elections. Netanyahu is seeking his fourth term as prime minister

The United States has historically shielded Israel from criticism at the UN security council, where it holds a veto.

Mr Netanyahu made his controversial comments during an election campaign in which he was widely thought to have tacked right-wards for strategic reasons.

“Anyone who is going to establish a Palestinian state, anyone who is going to evacuate territories today, is simply giving a base for attacks to the radical Islam against Israel,” he told Israeli news site NRG.

He accused Israelis who believed otherwise of “sticking their head in the sand, time and time again”.

After Mr Netanyahu’s re-election the United States said it would “reassess” its relationship with Israel.

The Israeli leader also recently angered White House officials by accepting an unconventional invitation to address the US Congress by Mr Obama's political opponents.

Despite its status as a developed country, Israel receives around $3bn of US aid a year, most of which is directed to military spending. $3bn equates to over 10% of the Israel’s defence budget.

The British government, also traditionally an ally of Israel, has also criticised the country in recent days, focusing on the conduct of its settler community.

A recent book by the last Labour government's director of communications Alastair Campbell alleged that Foreign Office officials have long believed Mr Netanyahu is an "armour-plated bullshitter".

Israel’s occupation is illegal under international law and the United Nations has repeatedly told the country’s government to vacate Palestinian territory.