”
Is President Barack Obama’s position that the 1967 borders be
used as a starting point for Middle East peace talks
reasonable?
”
THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
“Is President Barack Obama’s position that the 1967 borders be used as a starting point for Middle East peace talks reasonable?” Yes: 6 No: 4
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Karen Anderson: “Maybe. A big sticking point, among others, will be the fate of Jerusalem.” n Dave Appling: “Yes. (1) To negotiate a stable peace, you have to start somewhere, and the 1967 borders at least have some status. (2) Border issues are usually resolved by land trades relative to a known baseline, as the President proposed. (3) The defensibility issue is largely bogus; the real dispute is about land, settlements, and internal security.”
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Bert Berson: “No. The Israelis are not fools. They will not settle for indefensible borders with an enemy (Hamas) sworn to eliminate them.”
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Bob Chidester: “Absolutely not. Israel had every right to seize and occupy those small portions of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza strip during the Six Day War. These are strategic pieces of land Israel needs to better defend its borders against the barbarians. Perhaps Obama should go back and review his course on World History 101 before he starts negotiating with competent world leaders. But then again, maybe Obama does understand the situation and his proposal fits in with his anti-Israeli philosophy.”
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David Cohen: “Yes. You have to begin negotiations from some starting point and this is a good and reasonable one.”
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Julian Mancias: “Yes. Israel and Palestine could both benefit by readjusting the 1967 borders of East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.”
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Henry Miller: “Yes. Negotiations must start somewhere. Many Western leaders endorse President Obama’s suggestion, so we’re not alone with this idea. Just get things started.”
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Jeff Nunes: “No. Not only is his position unreasonable and unrealistic, but it is a sharp stick in the eye to our most loyal ally in the volatile region. His shameful position amounts to an about face on longstanding U.S. policy that has had both presidential and congressional support for decades.”
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Lisa Pampuch: “Yes. President Obama suggested the 1967 borders as a STARTING point for negotiations, not an end point, a fact that’s purposely ignored by the right-wing echo chamber eager to vilify him no matter what he says or does (see: right-wing outrage that Obama drank Guinness during his Ireland trip). Obama’s proposal is neither radical nor new. As The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg noted, both President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton advocated using the 1967 borders as a starting point for negotiations.”
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Jeff Smith: “No, unless his goal is to handicap or eventually destroy Israel. Lucky for Israel, Obama doesn’t make the borders. His disdain for some of our best long-time allies is an embarrassment to our nation.”Vote in
