Washington: The White House has pointedly criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's successful re-election campaign and suggested his newly declared opposition to a Palestinian state could jeopardise America's unwavering support for Israel at the United Nations.

The blunt comments by Obama administration officials illustrated how the campaign tactics Mr Netanyahu used to win an unexpectedly strong victory in Tuesday's election have further strained the historic ties between the United States and Israel. After six years of tension, relations between the two governments have frayed to a point not reached in decades.

Mr Netanyahu made opposition to US nuclear negotiations with Iran a centrepiece of his re-election effort. Then, in the closing days of the campaign, he said he would never agree to a sovereign Palestinian state, repudiating the concept of a two-state solution that has been a central element of US policy under presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush.