Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Slams Obama's Unprecedented Call For Israel To Return To Indefensible 1967 Borders: "Doesn't Understand The Reality"

The Jerusalem Post reports that "Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday issued a quick response to US President Barack Obama's Middle East speech that was noticeably negative in tone. While thanking Obama for his commitment to peace, the statement put out by the PMO said that the establishment of a Palestinian state cannot come at Israel’s expense. Netanyahu said he expected to hear from Obama a re-affirmation of the 2004 letter from President George W. Bush to Ariel Sharon that did not call for a return to the 1967 lines, and recognized that any agreement would take into account the changed realities on the ground -- a line interpreted by Israel to mean a recognition that Israel would hold on to the large settlement blocs. The statement also said that the Bush letter made clear that Palestinian refugees would be absorbed in a future Palestinian state, something that was not explicitly mentioned in Obama’s speech... Netanyahu also said that he will make clear in his meeting with Obama that Israel will need to remain on the Jordan River, and that he was disappointed by Fatah’s reconciliation with Hamas."

“Without a solution to the refugee issue by settling them outside of Israel," the statement said, "no territorial concession will end the conflict." A senior official in the PMO said following the speech, "They don't understand the reality." Tweet