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May 20, 2011

Obama Calls for Israeli-Palestinian Peace Deal Based on 1967 Borders 
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President Obama has endorsed a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict based on an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders. Obama laid
out his position in a major address on the Middle East on Thursday.

President Obama: "The United States believes that negotiations should
result in two states, with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel,
Jordan, and Egypt and permanent Israeli borders with Palestine. 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 Palestinian people must have the right
to govern themselves, and reach their potential, in a sovereign and
contiguous state."

Obama's comments mark the first time he has explicitly endorsed the
international consensus of a two-state solution based on Israel's
withdrawal from occupied Palestinian land. The Israeli government
immediately rejected Obama's comments, calling the 1967 borders
"indefensible." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in the
United States and will meet Obama at the White House today. Before his
departure, Netanyahu said he expects the United States to uphold the
Bush administration's endorsement of Israeli control over major West
Bank settlement blocs.



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