Netanyahu: ‘Israel cannot return to the indefensible 1967 borders’
- Associated Press
- May 23, 2011
In a speech to AIPAC, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his criticism of President Barack Obama’s suggestion that an Israeli-Palestinian peace process have as a starting point the 1967 borders.
Netanyahu, who will speak before a joint session of congress tomorrow, said he would there “describe what a peace could look like.”
“It must leave Israel with security,” he said. “And therefore, Israel cannot return to the indefensible 1967 borders.”
President Obama made that comment in a speech on Thursday, and swiftly came under criticism, including from Netanyahu himself at a meeting on Friday. In his own speech to AIPAC on Sunday, Obama attempted to clarify, and emphasized that he had said peace negotiations should begin from “the 1967 borders with mutual land swaps,” which, he said, by definition meant they would not begin from the said “indefensible 1967 borders.”
Earlier in the speech, however, Netanyahu thanked Obama for his commitment. Referring to Obama’s speech on Sunday, Netanyahu said, “President Obama has spoken about his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security. He rightly said that our security cooperation is unprecedented. He spoke of that commitment not just in front of AIPAC, but in two speeches heard throughout the Arab world. And President Obama has backed those words with deeds.”
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