Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuffed President Obama today over using the 1967 Israeli-Palestinian borders as a basis for a peace agreement.
Speaking after an Oval Office meeting that went nearly two hours longer than scheduled, Netanyahu said any deal "cannot go back to the 1967 lines, because these lines are indefensible, because they don't take into account certain changes that have taken place on the ground."
Between 1948 and 1967, Netanyahu said, "These were not the boundaries of peace. They were the bounds of repeated wars."
His comments represented a setback for Obama, who proposed in a speech Thursday that Israeli-Palestinian peace talks resume with the 1967 lines -- plus agreed-upon "swaps" -- forming the basis for a deal.
"Obviously, there are some differences between us, the precise formulations and language," Obama said. "That's going to happen between friends."
President Obama, speaking to members of a key constituency last night, told the Democratic Party'sWomen's Leadership Forum fundraiser that "we are not close to being finished" in the fight for women's rights, despite "enormous strides" since he took office.
He cited a host of achievements, including: a new health care plans that covers preventive procedures such as mammograms, a new White House Council on Women and Girls, two new female Supreme Court justices, elimination of a rule governing how family planning funds are used overseas, a push for pay equity protections and more.
He said his quest to improve women's lives goes beyond policy.
"The cause of women aren't just important to me as president - they are personal," he said. "I saw my grandmother hit a glass ceiling at the bank where she worked for years. She could have been the best bank president they ever had, but she never got that chance. I saw how Michelle was made to balance work and family when she was a vice president at a hospital. As a father, I want to make sure that my daughters and all of our daughters have the chance to be anything that they want. That's the America that we believe in. That's the America we're fighting for."
He also joked about his plight being surrounded by women and girls at home.
"Now, I was a little confused when they told me I was coming here to address the Women's Leadership Forum, because I address a women's leadership forum every night at dinner. I just left a women's leadership forum. I have Michelle, Malia, Sasha, my mother-in-law. It's just me and Bo (the dog), trying to get a word in edgewise. "
Speaking after an Oval Office meeting that went nearly two hours longer than scheduled, Netanyahu said any deal "cannot go back to the 1967 lines, because these lines are indefensible, because they don't take into account certain changes that have taken place on the ground."
Between 1948 and 1967, Netanyahu said, "These were not the boundaries of peace. They were the bounds of repeated wars."
His comments represented a setback for Obama, who proposed in a speech Thursday that Israeli-Palestinian peace talks resume with the 1967 lines -- plus agreed-upon "swaps" -- forming the basis for a deal.
"Obviously, there are some differences between us, the precise formulations and language," Obama said. "That's going to happen between friends."
President Obama, speaking to members of a key constituency last night, told the Democratic Party'sWomen's Leadership Forum fundraiser that "we are not close to being finished" in the fight for women's rights, despite "enormous strides" since he took office.
He said his quest to improve women's lives goes beyond policy.
"The cause of women aren't just important to me as president - they are personal," he said. "I saw my grandmother hit a glass ceiling at the bank where she worked for years. She could have been the best bank president they ever had, but she never got that chance. I saw how Michelle was made to balance work and family when she was a vice president at a hospital. As a father, I want to make sure that my daughters and all of our daughters have the chance to be anything that they want. That's the America that we believe in. That's the America we're fighting for."
He also joked about his plight being surrounded by women and girls at home.
"Now, I was a little confused when they told me I was coming here to address the Women's Leadership Forum, because I address a women's leadership forum every night at dinner. I just left a women's leadership forum. I have Michelle, Malia, Sasha, my mother-in-law. It's just me and Bo (the dog), trying to get a word in edgewise. "
