Israeli PM Netanyahu meets with Obama after rejecting US's border proposal (VIDEO)
U.S. President Barack Obama is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, just one day after Obama's comments on Israel's possible future borders stoked tensions.
The Israeli leader arrived at the White House on Friday, one day after Obama said Israel's borders should be based on lines that existed before the 1967 Six-Day War, with certain conditions.
Obama told a U.S. State Department audience that the conditions would be mutually agreed swaps with the Palestinians so that secure and recognized borders could be established for both states. He commented during a major Middle East policy speech.
Palestinians, who have been lobbying for statehood, embraced the remarks.
But the president's comments drew sharp criticism from Netanyahu. The Israeli leader said the 1967 lines would be "indefensible" for Israel. He said an Israeli withdrawal from some of the areas gained during the war would leave major Jewish settlements in the West Bank outside of Israel.
On Friday, an aide traveling with Netanyahu said Israeli officials feel that "Washington does not understand the reality" of what Israel is facing.
Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians stalled last September, partly due to Palestinian objections to Israeli settlement construction on land they want as part of a future state.
As Netanyahu and Obama prepared to sit down for talks, Israeli government officials announced plans to build about 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem. The units will be on land that Israel annexed after the 1967 war.
VOA News; Video: Fox News
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