JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday rejected a key aspect of President Obama’s Middle East 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, Mr. Netanyahu called the 1967 lines “indefensible.”
The tough stand could set the stage for a tense meeting Friday when Mr. Netanyahu goes to the White House.
In his speech, Mr. 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.
Mr. Netanyahu said such a withdrawal would jeopardize Israel’s security and leave major West Bank settlements outside Israeli borders.
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