CBNNews.com - Obama Switching Lanes on Israel?

CBNNews.com

President Barack Obama suggested Thursday that a Palestinian state based on Israel's 1967 borders would be best for peace negotiations -- a bold endorsement that seemingly goes against U.S. promises to Israel and adds fuel to an already intense debate surrounding Israeli-Palestinian relations.

Although Obama assured the U.S. commitment to Israel's security is "unshakeable," he called on the country to act "boldly to advance a lasting peace."

"While the core issues of the conflict must be negotiated, the basis of those negotiations is clear -- a viable Palestine, a secure Israel," Obama said in Thursday's speech on the Middle East. "We believe 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."

Obama's support of Palestine's demands for the borders that existed before the Six Day War in which Israel occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza is a significant shift in the U.S.-Israeli policy. . .

. . . .The American Center for Law and Justice added that Obama's decision "rewards Hamas -- a terrorist group that vows to eliminate Israel."

"President Obama is not the negotiator-in-chief for the Middle East and to make sweeping demands and characterizations not only hurts the peace process, but damages U.S.-Israeli relations," said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the ACLJ. . . .

The complete story is available here.