President Obama on Sunday sought to ease simmering tensions with supporters of Israel, many of whom were exasperated by the president’s call for Israel to jump-start long-stalled peace talks by agreeing to retract its borders as Palestinians have demanded. Speaking at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington, Obama vowed an “unbreakable” commitment to the closest U.S. ally in the Middle East, while arguing that his call for a return to Israel’s 1967 borders — including a withdrawal from East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip — was misinterpreted and essentially no different than conditions imposed by previous U.S. administrations.
“The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states,” he told the 10,000 people assembled at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. “The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, and reach their potential, in a sovereign and contiguous state.”
Those remarks brought scattered boos, though the president received a mostly warm reception just 48 hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Obama’s conditions unrealistic during an Oval Office meeting.
It was Obama’s first speech as commander in chief in front of the highly influential lobby and underscored the political importance of assuaging the liberal-leaning group on the eve of election season.
“By definition, it means that the parties themselves — Israelis and Palestinians — will negotiate a border that is different than the one that existed on June 4, 1967,” Obama said, attempting to soften his earlier demand. “If there’s a controversy, then, it’s not based in substance. What I did on Thursday was to say publicly what has long been acknowledged privately.”
Republicans have seized on Obama’s comments, saying the president should not pander to Palestinians who recently signed a power-sharing agreement with the virulently anti-Israel terrorist organization Hamas.
And not everyone at the AIPAC conference was moved by the president’s oratory.
“The president’s words were not misrepresented,” said Carolyn Olbum, of Pittsburgh. “What he said [on the 1967 borders] was very misguided. I don’t think he’s as firm in his commitment to Israel as others in his position.”
Michael Livshutz, from Obama’s hometown of Chicago, was more forgiving yet still not satisfied with the Obama approach to the unproductive peace negotiations.
“I’d give him a B-minus,” the Illinois resident said after the speech. “He made it clear that the U.S. stands behind Israel. I’m still worried that he’s just going with the flow. That’s not the United States’ way — to suggest that nothing can be done.”
While Obama stressed the urgency of peace talks, he did not offer a detailed framework or time line for a solution. He firmly rejected a Palestinian push to be recognized as an independent state by the United Nations. That U.N. vote is scheduled for September.
Arguably the loudest applause from the AIPAC crowd was reserved for House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., who seemingly echoed Netanyahu in saying, “Israel’s borders must be defensible and must reflect reality on the ground.”
Immediately after the address, Obama departed for a weeklong European trip during which he will talk with U.S. allies about the political upheaval rocking the Middle East and North Africa.
