Obama Calls Again for '67 Borders Framework

The Hill reports:

Facing criticism about his Middle East peace proposal, President Obama on Sunday reiterated his recent call to base negotiations for a Palestinian state on Israel's 1967 borders.

The president was quick to guarantee America's commitment to Israeli security, and he clarified that land swaps negotiated between Israeli and Palestinian leaders would ensure that any final boundary would "be different" than the one that existed in 1967.

"That is what 'mutually accepted swaps' means," Obama told thousands of pro-Israel activists gathered in Washington for the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). "If there is a controversy, then, it is not based in substance."

He added, "The ultimate goal is two states for two people."

Obama generated international headlines on Thursday when he suggested that Israeli's 1967 boundaries be the basis for relaunching the stalled peace negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Those borders have since been changed, notably during the 1967 Six Day War, when Israel took over parts of the West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. Thousands of Israelis have since settled in the border regions.

Within 24 hours of Obama's original remarks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bluntly rejected the border proposal.

"For there to be peace, the Palestinians will have to accept some basic realities," Netanyahu said at a press briefing with Obama Friday. "The first is that while Israel is prepared to make generous compromises for peace, it cannot go back to the 1967 lines."

Netanyahu has since downplayed the rift, saying the media has blown the dispute "way out of proportion."