Did Obama Go Too Far?

(Posted on 21/05/11)

Hours before he was to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Obama announced he supported a pre-1967 border for Israeli and Palestine. "The borders if Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps", said Obama during a speech on Thursday. Americans were left dumbfounded and his statements left both Democrats and Republicans wondering first, where that came from and then questioning the timing since PM Netanyahu was due to meet with the U.S. president within hours.

Soon, Twitter and Facebook was exploding with criticisms, from both Americans and others around the world. One Facebook post said Obama's announcement was excellent: he'd officially ensured he'd not be re-elected in the 2012 campaign.

PM Netanyahu was adamant in his stance. He called it "indefensible" an rejected it in its entirety. Still, he announced that even though the differences were many, they were possible between friends, suggesting relations weren't damaged. He did say, however, that a genuine peace would never be possible with Obama's plans.

At risk are around 400,000 Israelis who have built homes all along the Palestinian West Bank. If the borders were to be redefined, these Israelis would fall under Palestinian law. Under international laws, the settlements are considered illegal; Israel has always taken issue with that.

Paul Adams, who is employed by the BBC and who is also currently in Washington, said "Obama has clearly angered Mr. Netanyahu by formally adopting it (pre-1967 borders)". He suggests Obama's stance could possibly jeopardize the visit as a whole and certainly the ongoing talks.

So what does Obama's declarations mean for efforts at peace in the Middle East and are there any global repercussions? That remains unknown for now, though Netanyahu has made it clear that there is no compromise on this point.