Washington – Netanyahu Lectures Obama In Oval Office

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    U.S. President Barack Obama listens to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, May 20, 2011. Obama's call for Israel to give Palestinians territory it has occupied since 1967 stunned Netanyahu and pushed the leaders' thawing relationship back into the freezer.      REUTERS/Jim Young      (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)Washington – Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Barack Obama against chasing what he called a Middle East peace “based on illusions” as he lectured the US president amid a widening rift in US-Israeli ties.

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    In a dramatic Oval Office appearance, after 90 minutes of talks Friday, Prime Minister Netanyahu emphatically vowed Israel would never return to its 1967 borders and laid down a set of non-negotiable conditions for peace talks.

    The exchange, which left hopes for Obama’s peace drive more remote than ever, came a day after the US president called on Israel to accept a return to territorial lines in place before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, with mutual land swaps with Palestinians to frame a secure peace.

    But Netanyahu seized on the notion that he was being asked to return solely to Israel’s 1967 footprint, which he said was nine miles wide in places and half the size of the “Beltway” highway surrounding Washington.

    “While Israel is prepared to make generous compromises for peace, it cannot go back to the 1967 lines — because these lines are indefensible,” Netanyahu said, looking Obama squarely in the eye.

    Israelis argue that returning to the former border configuration would leave Israeli population centers vulnerable and mean uprooting hundreds of thousands of settlers from homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

    Netanyahu did not however mention the second part of Obama’s stipulation — namely that land swaps between Israel and the Palestinians, would change those 1967 lines to ensure two secure, contiguous states.

    The White House insisted that it had never said that Israel should return to a narrow definition of its 1967 territorial lines.

    Asked whether Netanyahu was willfully misinterpreting Obama’s remarks, White House spokesman Jay Carney said such an observation was “interesting.”

    Privately, White House officials appeared infuriated by Netanyahu’s combative approach, which even included a lecture for Obama on the historic struggles of the Jewish people.

    Obama admitted that he had Netanyahu had “differences” on language and formulations over the best approach to reviving peace talks stalled since last year, but saw a moment of opportunity amid the “Arab spring.”

    “I think that it is possible for us to shape a deal that allows Israel to secure itself, not to be vulnerable, but also allows it to resolve what has obviously been a wrenching issue for both peoples for decades now.”

    The Israeli leader then launched into a history lesson of the struggles of the Jewish people, which Obama watched from a nearby chair, his hand over his mouth.

    “A peace based on illusions will crash eventually on the rocks of Middle Eastern reality,” Netanyahu said.

    “We don’t have a lot of margin for error… because, Mr President, history will not give the Jewish people another chance.”

    After the talks, a senior Israeli official accused Obama of raising “unreasonable expectations” that could set the peace process back “dozens of years” by seeking a Middle East deal based on the 1967 borders.

    “We had to put our foot down,” he added.

    Analysts said Obama became the first president to specifically state that the 1967 borders should be the basis for peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, shut down over a settlements row last year.

    But they also warned the statement could cost him support during next year’e elections among Jewish and pro-Israel voters.

    “A lot of Democrats are not going to agree with this, and a lot of Democrats are not going to be Democratic in the voting booth,” said New York political strategist Hank Sheinkopf.


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    23 Comments
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    Yisroel
    Yisroel
    12 years ago

    To Charlie Hall and all those liberals who have given excuses for and have supported Obama and claimed that Obama was like Bush in his viewpoint about peace are wrong. It is quite obvious from Netanyahu’s response and lecture to Obama that Obama is a major threat to Israel’s existence and Bush wasn’t. Obams’s declaration against Israel will be his downfall. The Talmud in Gitten says that anyone who threatens the Jews is like destroying the apple of his eye. “The Savior of Israel neither sleeps nor slumbers.”

    Yisroel
    Yisroel
    12 years ago

    Obama thinks he can step on Israel. He doesn’t know who he is dealing with. He is going against the G-d of Israel. Many a tyrant tried and failed to destroy Israel but the tables were turned against them they then became the anihilated.

    Yisroel
    Yisroel
    12 years ago

    Let America go back to pre-Indian borders of 1607 as a starting point of negotiations with the Indians!

    Yisroel
    Yisroel
    12 years ago

    The Palistinians never owned the land before 1967. When Obama says go back to 67 borders it was the Jordanians who occupied the land not the Palistinians. The Palistinians have no legitmacy whatsoever. They are not a legitimate people. Why should America support an anti-American Palistinian state which will only produce more terrorist acts against the US? The Palistinians danced in the streets at 9/11. Why should they be rewarded for this? Who is supposed to pay for this state of terrorists? Does it make sense for the US to create another terrorist state with our tax dollars?

    DRE53
    DRE53
    12 years ago

    No matter what, the President of the US needs to be respected, and the American people expect it to be so, especially from a country who received billions from the US. He’s our leader and he represents us to the outside world.
    Bibi should apologize for being so disrespectful to Obama

    12 years ago

    “Asked whether Netanyahu was willfully misinterpreting Obama’s remarks, White House spokesman Jay Carney said such an observation was “interesting.””

    What a strange line to write in an article. Who asked the reporter to ask this question? A very sneaky way of slipping in the author’s own theory…

    concerned_Jew
    concerned_Jew
    12 years ago

    I agree with the president. Israel should go back to the 67 boarders. June 12th, 1967 borders that is. Better idea. let go back to the Jewish year 3000 borders.

    Benny
    Benny
    12 years ago

    #6 you are an american, for every stupid thing you have to apologize(even if it’s other party’s fault).
    Learn how to say what you mean and be a man to stand by your word!

    12 years ago

    To #3- “Upset”- There were no “pre-1607” borders pertaining to the American Indians. In fact, many Indian tribes waged war against each other (and committed corresponding atorcities for control of territory), so there were no legal deeds of title. Many Indian tribes in the USA have been given millions of acres of land, (tax exempt). In addition, the Bureau of Indian Affairs spends billions of tax dollars per year, pertaining to the welfare of American Indians.

    To #6 - “Reb Yona”- Several months ago, when Obama refused to offer Netanyahu a chair to sit down on, or even a drop of water to drink, and when he scolded Netanyahu with his shoes up on his desk (in Asian societies, it is considered extremely rude to do so), where were you at that time with your criticism of “disrespectful behavior”? I think that it was about time that someone stood up to Obama, and his professorial, narcissistic personality.

    DavidCohen
    DavidCohen
    12 years ago

    “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.”

    I hope that American Jews who naively voted for President Obama in 2008 (after convincing themselves that he is a friend of the Jews and Israel) can prove that they are indeed sane but not making the same tragic mistake in 2012.

    Dr_Bert_Miller
    Dr_Bert_Miller
    12 years ago

    A carnivore eats meat. An omnivore eats everything. I just invented a word, “Jewnivore.”

    A Jewnivore is a creature who “eats or destroys Jews.” Arabs who call themselves Palestinians are Jewnivores. A person cannot live peacefully with someone who intends to eat him. Kitchen owners cannot “make peace” with cockroaches because they are creatures who are totally devoted to finding food and eating it.

    Palestinian Arabs share an admirable personality trait with cockroaches. Neither group ever gives up.

    Some math problems have no solution. For example, x=x+1 is an equation which has no solution. There is no “Fountain of Youth.” There is no way to change lead into gold. There is no way to make peace with the Arab hate merchants. Violent conflict with Arabs is an example of a problem with no solution.

    Israel withdrew from Gaza. Did the Gazan Arabs show how they could be responsible members of the world community? No. Given the opportunity to vote in a “free” election, they voted in a group which is against the democratic process and for the violent destruction of its neighbor-state.

    12 years ago

    What’s so bad about Bibi, the head of state of Israel lecturing Obama, the head of state of US? They’re equals. Oh, the difference in population? US began in the 1700’s (not counting prior colonization). Israel in 1948. US had several wars, all by countries across the ocean. It’s like having home field advantage. The Mexican war was against a rather undeveloped military. Israel fights its own neighbors, many with major sources of support and funding from wealthier countries. So as heads of state, they’re on the same level. Let Bibi lecture Obama all he wants, especially when policy is being based and developed on almost absent knowledge of history and the facts.

    12 years ago

    Thre is a Fox News Democratic analyst by the name of Kirsten Powers, who was not very objective concerning Netanyahu. She claims that “he was disrespectful to Obama”. However, she is married to an Egyptian, so her objectivity goes out the window. On Memorial Day, in 1992, when former President spoke at the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in D.C., he was introduced to the veterans by Gen. Colin Powell, who implored the group to be respectful to their commander-in-chief. However, the crowd of hundreds of veterans booed Clinton loudly, for over twenty minutes. Clinton stood there, and took that abuse. The Secret Service was not happy, but couldn’t do anything. The above conduct is what should be correctly characterized as being disrespectful to the President, and not the respectful disagreement which the Prime Minister emphasized.

    Dr_Bert_Miller
    Dr_Bert_Miller
    12 years ago

    continuation of #16

    Mr. Obama believes that the Palestinian Arabs deserve the opportunity for self-determination. I respectfully disagree. Give the Pals a state (Mr. Obama said “contiguous” i.e. with Gaza) and the result will be, as someone said, “Thugistan.” I propose that a group of people who do not/cannot “behave” are not entitled to membership in the community of nations.

    The Pals could have created a model nation-state in Gaza. They did not. Instead, they either a) showed an inability to control the wild, violent members of their group, or b) made the murder of their neighboring nation-state a national priority.

    Mr. Obama, therefore, has made at least two catastrophic errors. (1) The very idea that the Pals have some entitlement to have their own country is false. (2) The problem: Create an Arab state in Judea/Samaria/Gaza which will live in peace with Israel – has no solution.

    Granny
    Granny
    12 years ago

    Reply to #6 Reb Yona – Are you kidding? Bibi should apologize to Obama? For what? These are 2 heads of state speaking man to man. Bibi’s first and foremost responsibility is to speak for and defend the State of Israel.

    Reply to #15 David Cohen – It’s nice that you’re so hopeful that American Jews will recognize how wrong they were to vote for Obama thinking he’s a friend to Jews. Unfortunately, I don’t think that will happen. These are the type of Jews who are described very well by David Mamet in his book of essays, The Wicked Son. He explains the mentality of those Jews, like the wicked son in the Hagaddah, that thinks he can separate himself from the Jewish people in the hope of being accepted by Goyim and escaping the fate of the Jews. Of course he can’t, the Goyim scorn him even more for trying to fit in with them and distancing themselves from the interests of their own people. Mostly, they will vot for Obama again.

    Finally to those who say that Obama is saying what Bush said – really? Really? Forget who said what. You can’t tell the difference between a friend and a foe?