Netanyahu Rejects Obama's Plan For Pre-1967 Borders

UPDATE: President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered remarks following a nearly 90-minute meeting in the Oval Office on Friday.

Obama, who characterized his meeting with Netanyahu as extremely constructed, emphasized that that U.S. is committed to the ultimate goal of a secure Jewish state. He added that the Palestinians will have to answer some difficult questions and that Hamas will not be a partner in the peace process.

Netanyahu said that the Israelis can not go back to the 1967 border, as the President requested Thursday. He said that they will maintain a strong military presence on the border and that the issue of Palestinian refugees can not be resolved within a Jewish state.

He emphasized his desire for a lasting peace as well, but noted it can’t be built on “illusions.”

WASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Binjamin Netanyahu is visiting the White House Friday, one day after President Obama delivered a speech urging Israel to rescind its borders to 1967-levels.

The two leaders are scheduled to meet in the Oval Office, deliver a statement to reporters and then hold a working lunch in the White House’s Old Family Dining Room.

The President’s speech irked Netanyahu, who said the plan would leave Israeli “indefensible” and would “leave a large population of Israelis in Judea and Samaria and outside Israel’s borders.”

This is not the first time Netanyahu has visited the White House amid increased tensions between the two countries. In March of last year, the Prime Minister reportedly had an icy meeting at the White House following disagreements over settlements in East Jerusalem.

In his speech, Obama said the return to the 1967 borders should be based on “mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states.”

This story was updated at 2:15 pm.