Netanyahu defies Obama on '67 borders at meeting

WASHINGTON - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Friday that Israel would not withdraw to 1967 borders to help make way for an adjacent Palestinian state. President Barack Obama, seated beside him, had called on Israel to be willing to do just that in a speech the day before.

The Israeli leader said he would make some concessions but Israel would not go back to the lines from decades earlier because they would be "indefensible."

For his part, Obama said that there were differences of formulations and language but that such disputes are going to happen "between friends."

The president never mentioned the 1967 borders as the two men talked with reporters. The leaders spoke after a lengthy meeting in the Oval Office, amid tense times.

Obama said in his speech on Thursday that the United States supports creation of a Palestinian state based on the border lines that existed before the 1967 Six Day War in which Israel forces occupied east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. The comment drew angry criticism in Israel, and Netanyahu made clear after meeting with Obama that the idea was unacceptable.

"We cannot go back to those indefensible lines," said Netanyahu.

Both Obama and Netanyahu said they shared a desire to get to peace and played down disagreements. "We may have differences here and there," Netanyahu said.

But there was no sign of resolution of the many barriers that stand between Israel and the Palestinians, more now than last September when Obama brought the two parties together to call for a peace deal within a year -- a deadline that now looks unattainable.

Netanyahu said his nation could not negotiate with a newly constituted Palestinian unity government that includes the radical Hamas movement, which refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist. He said that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had to choose between continuing the deal with Hamas and making peace with Israel.

Obama agreed that Hamas "is not a partner for a significant realistic peace process" and said Palestinians would have to resolve that issue among themselves.

Yet both Obama and Netanyahu emphasized a need to make some kind of progress, against all obstacles, as changes sweep the Arab world.

"History will not give the Jewish people another chance," Netanyahu said.

Another major stumbling block is how to resolve the issue of Palestinian refugees. Palestinians demands a "right of return" of large numbers of refugees and descendants to Israel, but Israeli leaders say this would dilute the Jewish presence in Israel so that it would no longer be the Jewish state that Netanyahu demands and Obama supports.

"That's not going to happen," Netanyahu said. He said Palestinians need to recognize that.

All in all, the comments from Netanyahu and Obama, after a longer-than-scheduled meeting that lasted more than 90 minutes, sounded more like a recitation of the many barriers to peace than an explanation of why there should be any reason for optimism.

The two leaders did not take questions from the reporters, and White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was unable in a subsequent briefing to point to any concrete signs of progress.

That left the way forward as cloudy as ever.

Palestinian leaders are consulting with Arab governments on how to respond to Obama's speech. Netanyahu is to address the U.S. Congress on Tuesday to press Israel's position.

CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante said the encounter pit a president deeply frustrated with a Mideast peace effort in shambles against an Israeli leader who says he cannot do business with the newly-joined Palestinian government.

The president Thursday called for a resumption of peace talks, and for the first time put explicit U.S. approval on a key Palestinian demand: "We believe the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines, with mutually-agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states," the president said.

Netanyahu immediately rejected any deal that would mean giving up territory gained in the 1967 War, even though in the final agreement Israel would likely retain its largest settlements.

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On CBS' "The Early Show," former Assistant Secretary of State Jamie Rubin said the president's speech invited the harsh tone from the Israelis.

"That's partly a function of his willingness in the past to put to the Israeli government his differences on issues like settlements, which is now what the Israeli government is complaining about," Rubin said. "So to the extent that the Israelis respond to President Obama's urging that they get serious about the negotiations, this could have a positive effect. But right now, it's turned into a real diplomatic flap."

Israeli gamesmanship at the fore in W.H. meeting

President Obama's stance on the 1967 borders was not a major policy change, since the U.S - along with the international community and even past Israeli governments - previously endorsed an agreement building on the 1967 lines.

But it was the first time he'd explicitly endorsed those borders as a starting point, a position Netanyahu rejects.

8 Photos

Obama, Netanyahu meet at White House

[justme2012]

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Obama's face show such contempt and disdain that you can feel it.

[kr1971]

Obama want's Israel to commit Suicide,
Plain and Simple, I guess he was to young to remember 1967. look what happens in the 90's under Clinton, The Palestinians. Tore the place up and fired into Israel Again, Muslims learn history your land is in Jordan your going the wrong way.

[noloyalisti]

That's because this was NEVER fair for the Palestinians. That's what it is with these right wing, imperialist white people all the time. They think they are entitled because they are better than everyone else. In fact it is just the opposite.

[jgg000101]

I love it how all the obamabots call isreal a "welfare state" and try to defend obama's position when in fact he sucker-punched isreal on international TV and got punched back. He did exactly the same thing to pakistan - telling them they were our best buddies and then executing a secret military mission within their borders and without their knowledge.
BTW, all this "welfare" money to isreal is a pittance when compared to what we provide to pakistan, iraq, afghanistan, saudi arabia, libya, and now obama wants to give $2B more to egypt. They are ALL welfare states. If you want to cut off isreal, cut them all off.

[retm-w]

You named six countries, now I'm sure that adding those six countries up they get about equal to what we give israel. And mossad operates and conducts mission within our borders, without our knowledge. By the way what secret military mission? How could we do that without the great mossad knowing about it. Just like they new about the truck bomb in beruit, yet never told us, and U.S. Marines were slaughtered.

[justme2012]

Obama is on Africa's side. We all know that. He made a non-negotiable commitment to that country. For him to put America first would be a breaking of his word that he made in a house of God. Does anyone think he will not honor that commitment over his pledge to America?

[34sender]

Wow, the ignorance is amazing.

Africa is NOT a country. I think you just hate Obama (or anyone like him, politically, culturally, etc) and nothing you say has any more truth or fact than what you wrote above.

[justme2012]

You are correct, it is a continent. Obama is commited to the continent ahead of America. Same results. He is putting many other countries ahead of America.

[Uncle_Eccoli]

Unbelievable. I always thought all that "empty suit" talk was just partisan nonsense. Now I'm not so sure. I'll be supporting the Republican candidate next year for the first time in my life.

By the way, armistice lines were drawn when the Six Day War ended, not borders.

[retm-w]

Support the republicans and lose your rights. That's already been proven by the republican governors.

[1pheasant1]

by RobAla May 21, 2011 8:14 AM EDT

Defies? Defies??? President Obama is not the ruler of the world. What do you mean defies??? President Obama turned his back on our strongest friend in the Middle East, Israel. President Obama has sided with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, over our ally Israel.

********************

Don't worry about it, Robby! Harold Camping will win the Presidential election as the Republican nominee, and he will save America and the world from the evil President Obama.

[Turbidite]

Should go back to the 1947 boundaries.

[PhilistineTheArtLover]

Some day, it will. Some day.

[tsigili]

Netanyahu is right, there is no returning to pre 1967 borders. Obama showed his own folly, in even suggesting that was possible.

[unclebernies]

I hate to break it the the Isreali prime minister but the U.S. does have a say in their country. The U.S. has investing billions upon billions of dollars to Isreal so if i were him i'd start listening.

[justme2012]

So they are slaves to the US?

Seems that throughout world history socialists have tried to enslave the jews. Obama is no different.

[retm-w]

justme2012

Seems trhe repulicans are doing a good job of enslaving Americans and taking away their rights, all but the rich that is.

[lucifersshadow]

I'm sure what they consider so "stratigically" important is jerusalem. They have atomic weapons and they can't defend themselves against people throwing rocks? Netanyahu does not want peace, because if there were to be peace, Israel would have to stop stealing land.

[justme2012]

So you recommend dropping nukes on stone throwers?

[warmonkey6]

Israel does not want "peace', They want ALL the land