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Obama with Netanyahu
Photo: Reuters
Sources: PM encouraged by meeting
Meanwhile source says Obama to press EU not to back Palestinian declaration of state
WASHINGTON – A diplomatic source in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Washington delegation said Friday that Netanyahu had arrived at the meeting with US President Barack Obama troubled and pessimistic, but that he left the meeting feeling encouraged.
Palestinian Response
Spokesman says 'Palestinian government will be independent, have nothing to do with Fatah, Hamas'
Meanwhile another official source told Ynet that Obama would soon travel to Europe in order to press European leaders to reject a unilateral Palestinian declaration of independence.
Following the 90-minute meeting, which ran over schedule, Obama walked Netanyahu to his car and the two continued to speak on the White House lawn for a few minutes.
"There are differences, but the relations are good," one official source said. The prime minister had made clear that Israel would not withdraw to the 1967 borders, he added, and "will not accept refugees or talk to Hamas. They can forget about it."
The source said a recent reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah is "bad for peace and bad for Israel. Fatah is getting closer to Hamas, and not the opposite way around," he said.
Leaders talk on White House lawn (Photo: Avi Ohayon, GPO)
Israel's severe response to Obama's Thursday speech, in which he urged a return to the 1967 lines, had conveyed its message well, another source said.
"Obama's behavior was very clear and showed that they were trying to calm things down. A private lunch was another way of reducing tension. They understood that they went too far with Netanyahu," he added.
In the face of Israeli anger over the speech, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney argued Friday that Obama's articulation of the 1967 borders didn't amount to a new position.
Obama Thursday repudiated the Palestinians' pursuit of unilateral statehood through the United Nations, but it was unclear whether Obama's statement on the 1967 borders as the basis for negotiations would be sufficient to persuade the Palestinians to drop their quest for UN recognition.
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