News Wrap: Netanyahu denies he rejected Palestinian state possibility

GWEN IFILL:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied today he's rejected any possibility of a future Palestinian state. He'd appeared to do just that on the very closing day of his election campaign. But, today, he told NBC News his position has not changed, namely, that a Palestinian state is possible, under certain conditions.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Prime Minister, Israel:

I don't want a one-state solution. I want a sustainable, peaceful two-state solution. But, for that, circumstances have to change. So, we need the conditions of a recognition of the Jewish state and real security in order to have a realistic two-state solution. And I was talking about what is achievable and what is not achievable.

GWEN IFILL:

Later today, President Obama telephoned Netanyahu to congratulate his party on its election win. The White House said Mr. Obama reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to a two-state solution.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility today for an attack in Tunisia that left 23 people dead, mostly European tourists. They were killed yesterday in a hail of bullets at a famed museum in Tunis, the country's capital.

We have a report from Jonathan Miller of Independent Television News.

JONATHAN MILLER:

As the president military security council met with army top brass, troops were deployed to major Tunisian cities and arrests were made of the dead gunman's alleged accomplices.

Down at the port, traumatized tourists hugged in small groups in the spring morning sunlight. Twelve of the dead were from the cruise ship Splendida, 13 more wounded. The huge vessel had earlier sailed off into the sunrise, leaving its dead and its wounded behind.

MAN:

I'm really happy to see you.

JONATHAN MILLER:

But a young Spanish couple had a remarkable escape. Here, a Tunisian government minister is greeting Juan Carlos Sanchez, who had hidden all night in a museum refuse cupboard with his pregnant partner, Cristina Rubio.

"As we were leaving," he says, "we saw them shooting people by the door. They shot one and we realized what was going on and we hid. We heard everything," he said.

The assault on the national museum took place at noon yesterday, with at least two militants opening fire on tour buses as visitors disembarked, before rushing into the museum itself. Various jihadi groups have been in the frame, but this afternoon the Islamic State group claimed the museum attack.

Today, at police H.Q., they paid homage to and then laid to rest the anti-terrorist officer Aymen Morjan killed in the attack. Tunisia's interior minister spoke at his funeral. "We will eradicate terrorism," he said. "We are confident and we have the support of our people."

GWEN IFILL:

Also today, U.N. investigators accused Islamic State forces of genocide and war crimes in Iraq. A human rights report charged the militants tried to wipe out the country's Yazidi minority. They allegedly carried out mass killings of Yazidi men, and enslaved and raped women and children as young as 6. The Islamic State group seized large parts of Iraq and Syria last summer.

The University of Virginia and the state's governor are expressing outrage over the arrest of a black student that left him bleeding early Wednesday. Alcohol control agents wrestled Martese Johnson to the ground outside a bar. They said he acted belligerent. Last night, 1,000 protesters gathered on UVA's campus in Charlottesville, demanding an investigation. Johnson took part and appealed for calm.

MARTESE JOHNSON, Student, University of Virginia: I beg for you guys, regardless of your personal opinions and the way you feel about subjects, to please respect everyone here. We are all a part of one community.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

MARTESE JOHNSON:

And we deserve to respect each other, especially in times like this.

GWEN IFILL:

The 20-year-old student had no prior criminal record. His lawyer says his head injuries required 10 stitches.

President Obama ordered federal agencies today to cut greenhouse gas emissions. They're to be reduced 40 percent over the next decade from 2008 levels. White House officials said it could save taxpayers as much as $18 billion in electricity costs.

The president also had a royal visit this afternoon. He met with Britain's Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the duchess of Cornwall, in the Oval Office. They're in the middle of a four-day trip to the United States.

And Wall Street lost some of yesterday's gains, as falling oil prices hurt energy stocks. The Dow Jones industrial average lost more than 100 points to close below 18000 again, and the S&P 500 dropped 10. The Nasdaq was the exception, rising nine points.