Washington – In an exclusive VIN News interview, a source with close ties to Washington who asked to remain anonymous, claims that President Obama’s speech last week calling for Israel to return to its 1967 borders was a direct preemptive strike before Monday’s address to the joint houses of Congress by Prime Minister Netanyahu.
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Netanyahu was invited to address the joint session of congress by Speaker of the House John Boehner, a staunch supporter of Israel. Boehner announced his intention to invite Netanyahu to address Congress on April 14th, coordinating the invitation around the Prime Ministers official visit to speak at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference.
According to the source, since then Boehner has been under tremendous pressure to rescind the invitation, something that he steadfastly refused to do.
“The speaker has been unwavering in his support of Israel and wanted to give Netanyahu a forum to present his solution to an issue that has been going on for the last thirty years,” said the source. “The White House was very much against giving Netanyahu the opportunity to address the joint session of Congress and President Obama’s address from the Oval Office last Thursday was a direct result of the Speaker’s invitation and an attempt to combat Netanyahu’s upcoming remarks.”
While the White House may not have wanted the Prime Minister to address Congress, his remarks were warmly received, with Netanyahu’s speech interrupted fifty times for applause in addition to receiving twenty nine standing ovations.
“There was so much energy and enthusiasm in the room, more so than when President Obama gave his State of the Union Address,” remarked the source.
An invitation for a foreign dignitary to address a joint session of Congress is a rare event, something that has only happened 110 times in the history of the United States. Monday’s address was Netanyahu’s second time speaking before a joint session and the fifth time an Israeli Prime Minister has had the opportunity to address Congress.
I think Netanyahu had a good line when he turned around in the speech and told Biden that he welcomes Biden as the new kid on the block.
It sounds very plausible.
I wish this weren’t true, but having observed this president since day 1 in the way he has time after time been so obviously cold hearted towards Israel while flattering the Arabs at every given opportunity I’m not surprised by this report at all!!!
Whatever the reason for the President’s speech there were definitely no great intentions for helping Israel or it’s peole.
Boy did it backfire on Obama!
Where are PMOinFL and Charlie to claim the “facts” about how Obama is the friendliest president towards Israel, and that any upset in American-Israeli relations is the fault of the Bushes?
Something is rotten when its the full mindset of those who think that they love Israel to attack nonstop a standing president who has acted amiably in all of his days. That said, I suppose that noone has considered that this may just be his role in history and perhaps Hashem is the real one who will be behind any peace plan. If its Hashems plan, noone can thwart it. Right?
It has always been U.S. policy that there would have to be land swaps measured against the 67 borders to achieve a peace settlement. The only difference beween the Obama position and Bush 2 is that Bush 2 never defined the benchmark against which those swaps would be measured. Obama stated the obvious.
obama has a nice smile and a glib tounge but that does not mean that he has acted amicably toward israel,not at all.hopefully everyone on this site knows that Hashem is behind this and everything.that being said,we have to do all we can to protect our brothers and sisters in ey.
Man plans Gd laughs. Nice try Mr Pres, not onlý did America show u, uve got a bunch of tornados to take care of…do u really think appeasing and calming Arabs works? Tell me the last time that happened.best to be forcefully honest w Arabs-and I’m no wiz.
Charlie, Egypt opened the Rafah border. At what point do u admit the arabs want to kill u regardless what any president thinks?
Boehner for GOP 2012.
Keep the Community Organizer in Europe he fits in better there
Obama’s attempt to have Netanyahu look bad and thus being ousted from office obviously did not work. Now even a deaf, dumb, and blind man can see what he thinks of Israel.
sorry charlie ( even star kist rejects you) you are wrong as usual bush called for negotiations with the borders to be settled by the parties the real government the state department called for a pull back but did not under bush
Charlie i would advise you to stop reading the NYT and their slanted bais news try the WSJ
Those who say Bush never called for a return to the 67 lines are either lying or ignorant. True, there were to be adjustmnents or land swaps or whatever you want to call it, but that’s what Obama said as well. (Bush even called for a Palestinian state with contiguous borders — just like Obama did). When even the Likud agrees to a two-state solution; when even the heliger George W. Bush called for a Palestinian state — what land do you think this Palestinian state will be situated on? Nebraska? The ONLY land that any of the peace plans, road maps, etc. refer to is the land captured by Israel in 1967. And since the Sinai and Gaza have already gone back to Egypt and Jordan, that leaves just the West Bank. So however you define it and whatever words you want to use, any settlement of the conflict ipso facto means Israel relinquishing most of the 67 territories. Comment number 9 above says UN Resolution 242 refers to some, not all of the land Israel won in 1967. Actually the resolution just says “territories” — it doesn’t say how much. But the thrust of the resolution is that Israel has to return territories. ’67 territories. So please, everyone, stop talking in circles.
Am I the only one who’s skeptical about accepting too much from an article based entirely on the comments of “a source with close ties to Washington who asked to remain anonymous”. At least explain to us why this supposed source is requesting anonymity.
I cannot believe the ignorance on these forums.
You people all live in this Talk Radio, WSJ, Jewish Press, Hamodia, Drudge Report bubble. Even the way you write “the arabs, want to kill us..” as if they aren’t individuals with individual and ever changing needs and realities.
This idea that anyone who supports land swap is a hater of Israel..the labeling and intolerance of other positions.
Do you know that close to half of Israelis believe in this very same position?
To you they’re all dismissed as self haters..and lefties, but the reality is that they truly believe that this is Israel’s best way forward. Now you can respectfully disagree with that, but I don’t see that happening any time soon.
Below is a direct quote from a Joint Statement issued by Netanyahu and Secretary Clinton in November 2010. The words about 1967 lines with agreed swaps were made by Clinton but this was a Joint Statement, it’s posted on the website of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (still up on the site — http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2010/Joint_statement_PM_Netanyahu_US_Sec_Clinton_11-Nov-2010.htm?DisplayMode=print), and I don’t recall Netyanyahu raising any uproar six months ago when this Joint Statement was issued.
“The Prime Minister and the Secretary agreed on the importance of continuing direct negotiations to achieve our goals. The Secretary reiterated that ‘the United States believes that through good-faith negotiations, the parties can mutually agree on an outcome which ends the conflict and reconciles the Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state, based on the 1967 lines, with agreed swaps, and the Israeli goal of a Jewish state with secure and recognized borders that reflect subsequent developments and meet Israeli security requirements.’ Those requirements will be fully taken into account in any future peace agreement.”
Every time he opens his mouth he gets smaller, and smaller. Even my daughter commented to me on his diaster in giving a toast to the Queen of England, and how incompetent he is.;
By trying to pre-empt Netanyahu, Obama now looks like the odd man out. If he were smarter, he would have saved his speech for after Netanyahu’s so that he could have had the last word.
Netanyahu stood up to Obama by saying NO 1967 BORDERS by learning from past experience.
From refusing to reinstitute the settlement freeze in face of US insistence, he learned that one CAN SAY NO to Obama AND STICK WITH IT.