Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Obama Says US Ties to Israel 'Unbreakable'

   VOA News  May 22, 2011
   President Barack Obama (file)

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS

   President Barack Obama (file)

   U.S. President Barack Obama told America's prominent pro-Israel
   lobbying organization Sunday that the bonds between the United States
   and Israel are "unbreakable" and the commitment of the U.S. to Israel's
   security is "iron-clad."
   The address to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)
   comes just days after the president triggered an angry reaction within
   Israel by suggesting its pre-1967 boundaries should be the basis for
   negotiations with the Palestinians.
   In his speech, Mr. Obama defended his plan, and said it has been
   misrepresented. He said the parties would still have to make mutually
   agreed upon swaps of territory to finalize the borders between Israel
   and a Palestinian state.
   The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, flatly rejected the
   Obama proposal, saying the borders that existed before the 1967 Mideast
   war are "indefensible."
   The disagreement between the two leaders came into focus Friday after
   their two-hour meeting at the White House. But on Saturday Mr.
   Netanyahu sought to play down those differences.
   He told reporters the rift has been "blown way out of proportion,"
   while acknowledging there are "some differences of opinion."
   Mr. Netanyahu speaks to AIPAC on Monday and then addresses a joint
   session of the U.S. Congress on Tuesday.

   Follow our Middle East reports on [1]Twitter
   and discuss them on our [2]Facebook page.

References

   1. http://twitter.com/VOAMiddleEast
   2. http://www.facebook.com/pages/VOAMiddleEastVoices/124360240958667?%20%20%20%20v=wall

.