President Obama reiterated his point Sunday, addressing needs to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee for new borders to be recognized in Israel. Rather than take on the 1967 borders, Israel was urged to use them as drawing points and beginnings to negotiation.
According to CBS news, the response to President Obama’s speech was applauded moreso than his last, receiving at least a firmer support for peace negotiations by Israel’s President Benjamin Netanyahu. This however, was met with more dispute in Israel and with conservatives, who inferred that many developments on the West Bank would be left unfinished and people will be dislocated with less securities.
The United States’ alliance with Israel, as spoken in Obama’s speech, is “Ironclad.” Surrounded by less receptive communist countries, with leaders like Hamas of Palestine, the Israelis are urged to make peace sooner, rather than later, to keep up with the pace of the economic world.
The New York Times also quoted former Israeli peace negotiator Daniel Levy, ” ‘He basically said, I can continue defending you to the hilt, but if you give me nothing to work with, even America can’t save you,’ ” said Daniel Levy, a former Israeli peace negotiator.
After receiving criticism with his first opinion, Obama clarified his stance to the Middle East humorously, which in fact, was definite for negotiations but not for borders. Still, people continue to oppose any change to the Israeli country. The Palestinians and Israelis have been fighting for thousands of years, and diplomacy for Jerusalem, the holy city, is far more complicated than it seems. Conservatives believe the rest of the chaos on in the Middle East should be addressed as well, noting that countries like Libya, Egypt and Afghanistan are also still in distress. Although good intentions for our allies remain the concern for America, the lasting peace between nations of different origins and religions remains the main concern for this historic change in borders to occur.
