HUFF.POST / AOL The headlines made it clear. From New York to Tel Aviv, President Obama’s call for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians with borders based on the lines following the Six Day War of 1967 was a first for a sitting American president.
“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,” the president said toward the end of a broader speech on the Middle East. “The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves and reach their potential in a sovereign and contiguous state.”
While the president’s position that Israel’s borders should return to the borders it had before it occupied the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights marks a new government stance, the idea is hardly a breakthrough among experts and professional peace negotiators. At least one Washington think tank has already drawn several maps detailing possible swaps… (more)
