" President Obama’s endorsement on Thursday of a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute based on the 1967 borders prompted Netanyahu to push back and said in a statement just before boarding a plane to Washington that while he appreciated Mr. Obama’s commitment to peace, he “expects to hear a reaffirmation from President Obama of American commitments made to Israel in 2004 which were overwhelmingly supported by both houses of Congress.” Those commitments came in a letter from President George W. Bush that stated, among other things, that “it is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949,” which was another way of describing the 1967 boundaries.... ... Netanyahu added that the commitments “relate to Israel not having to withdraw to the 1967 lines which are both indefensible and which would leave major Israeli population centers in Judea and Samaria beyond those lines,” a reference to large Israeli settlement blocs in the West Bank. Netanyahu said in Parliament on Monday that Israel needed to hold on to the large settlement blocs in any future two-state solution with the Palestinians. Mr. Obama’s new position does not appear to rule out Israel retaining settlements, but suggests that United States would pressure Israel to offset any retained land by providing other land or making other concessions to the Palestinians..."
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