BICOM

President Obama clarified his position on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in an address to the conference of the American pro-Israel AIPAC group on Sunday. He told the conference that future borders should be based on the 1967 lines but with mutual agreed territorial swaps. President Obama told the AIPAC audience that Israel and the Palestinians should negotiate a border that is different to the one which existed on June 4, 1967. The deal, Obama said, will allow ‘the parties themselves to account for the changes that have taken place over the last forty-four years, including the new demographic realities on the ground and the needs of both sides.’

He also said that the new Palestinian unity agreement between Fatah and Hama, poses ‘an enormous obstacle to peace,’ adding that, ‘no country can be expected to negotiate with a terrorist organization sworn to its destruction.’ Obama reaffirmed his commitment to Israel as a Jewish state, saying, ‘the ultimate goal is two states for two peoples. Israel as a Jewish state and the homeland for the Jewish people, and the state of Palestine as the homeland for the Palestinian people; each state enjoying self-determination, mutual recognition, and peace.’ President Obama also sought to reassure the audience of America’s commitment to Israel’s security, and reaffirmed US commitment to stopping Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.

In response to the speech, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he will work alongside US President Barak Obama to renew direct peace talks with the Palestinians. He said in a statement, ‘I am a partner to President Obama’s wish to promote peace and I appreciate his efforts in the past and present to achieve this goal.’ Netanyahu has consistently asserted that Israel cannot return to the 1967 lines, and that new borders must be negotiated which take into account Israel’s security needs and changed demographic realities. He has until now said he will only talk about the details of the borders in the context of bilateral peace talks which address Israel’s security requirements and other demands. Netanyahu will address AIPAC himself later today and both houses of Congress on Tuesday.