Netanyahu rejected Kerry proposal to visit Israel after election win

 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected US Secretary of State John Kerry's proposal to visit Israel following his election win in March and told him instead to come only after the new government was formed, Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post reported.

According to a report on Israel's Channel 2, immediately after Israel's general election on March 17, Kerry proposed that he would visit the Jewish state in order to advance various regional issues.

The Prime Minister's Office did not confirm the report on Sunday evening.

Relations between Netanyahu and the administration of US President Barack Obama have been tense over the last few months.

On Election Day Netanyahu angered the White House when he warned the Israeli public to go out and vote because "Arab voters are going en masse to the polls."

In addition, the White House said following Netanyahu's election win that it would evaluate its policy on the Middle East peace process following a remark that the prime minister made during his campaign that that a Palestinian state would not emerge under his tenure.

At the time, the White House said that the remarks called into question Netanyahu's commitment to the pursuit of peace and have forced the US government to reassess the the government's stance.

On the Iranian nuclear issue, Netanyahu has been the most vocal critic of the framework deal reached between the Islamic Republic and the US along with other world powers.