Netanyahu: 1967 borders can't be defended

Israeli prime minister rejects a key aspect of Obama's Mideast speech

Published May 19, 2011 7:40PM (EDT)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pauses during a press conference in his office in Jerusalem, Wednesday, May 18, 2011. When U.S President Barack Obama and Netanyahu meet this week to try to revive deadlocked Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, they will do so against a vastly changed Middle East landscape. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)  (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pauses during a press conference in his office in Jerusalem, Wednesday, May 18, 2011. When U.S President Barack Obama and Netanyahu meet this week to try to revive deadlocked Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, they will do so against a vastly changed Middle East landscape. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner) (AP)

Israel's prime minister has rejected a key aspect of President Barack Obama's policy speech, saying that a return to his country's 1967 borders would spell disaster for the Jewish state.

In a statement released late Thursday, Benjamin Netanyahu called the 1967 lines "indefensible."

The tough stand could set the stage for a tense meeting Friday when Netanyahu goes to the White House.

In his speech, Obama said a future Palestinian state must be based in territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, with minor adjustments reached through negotiations.

Netanyahu said such a withdrawal would jeopardize Israel's security and leave major West Bank settlements outside Israeli borders.


By Associated Press

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Barack Obama Israel Middle East