AP said he did, but AP was wrong. Obama's stated policy is the same as George Bush, Clinton, and George H.W. Bush.

it's not Obama's business .

In any discussion about so-called Palestinian refugees, the pro-Israel camp must say 'no' to allowing 'descendants' of the original refugees to live in Israel. There is no 'return' for people who never had residence in Israel. This refusal could sound more reasonable to world opinion. The numbers of 'original' refugees are small and shrinking every year.

therefore the conflict continues . all we can offer to you my dear friends is that we accept 22 % of our palestine .. has nothing to do with everyone should go back to his home ..yes you destroyed our villages but we know exactly where they were and you need to pay for that . oops ,sorry ..we have been telling you that all along ...peace is impossible . as of jerusalem the issue is similar to the citizenless refugees ,neither Obama nor anyone else can touch that file ... it was smart on his part not to tackle those issues because it is a non negotiable .. what you guys did in 1948 was really stupid and it is coming a full circle around your neck ....aouuuuuuuch .

not for the sake of presidency but for the sake of the US destiny. The US cant afford standing against the UN self-determination principle.

Anyone capable of reading a map knows Israel can't live with the monstrous Two State Final Solution. It would render Israel defenseless,with an 8 mile (15 minute tank ride) waist and inundate Israel with rockets and hostile Arabs. It is way past time to stop playing games. Stop pretending we accept this abomination. Obama's recent disgusting speech has galvanized pro-Israel support among most Americans. Now is the ideal time to clearly, publicly reject the Two State Final Solution.

It took some time before most sane Israelis abandoned the idea of a Greater Israel. Sooner or later this will have to happen to the Palestinians.

Not going to happen!!

The flat out "No" already sounds reasonable. Right of return means the end of Israel. Get it?

Actually it's not only Obama's business but the US' business. Israel is, in essence, the 51st state - don't you consistently rant about US support for Israel? As such, the US will NEVER let one of its states be obliterated. Since we're talking business, arguably the US owes Israel its support due to Israel's leading-edge technology supplied to the US military and society. The US leadership can no less do whatever it takes to ensure Israel's survival than what the US gun lobby would do to ensure the 2nd amendment to the constitution. As for your "right of return"...I think it better to be labeled “the plight of those who spurn”.

One's own state is the homeland of one's people. The Jewish state is the homeland of the Jewish people. Holland is the homeland of the Dutch. What is the use of an independent Palestine whose leaders want to move their people to Israel? Of course it's a means to destroy Israel but why doesn't anyone see the abnormality of the wish and treat it as the nonsense it is.

Bibi said when Pals choose to make peace with Israel, they can resolve their refugee problem in their own Pal state. He reminded the world that Arabs attacked Israel in 1948 creating 2 refugee problems: Palestinian and roughly the same number of Jewish refugees expelled from Arab countries. He said, "tiny Israel absorbed the Jewish refugees, but the vast Arab world refused to absorb the Palestinian refugees." He further said, after 63 years, the Pals say to Israel to accept the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of these refugees, "thereby wiping out Israel's future as a Jewish state...Everybody knows it’s not going to happen. And... it’s time to tell the Palestinians forthrightly it’s not going to happen."

He made it clear that Palestinian “refugees” will never exercise their mythical “right of return” this is a nice starting point but he must also specify that Jerusalem would never return in Arabs hands to be destroyed and neglected as it was under Jordanian jurisdiction. Lets him at the end of day realize that also '67 borders is indefensible on paper as it is for Israel survival. We gave back to Jordan's and Egyptians in exchange of peace but that was another history. Obama destin

Politics is the art of the POSSIBLE and the 'right of return' is an IMPOSSIBLE demand and Fatah knows that. Fatah are terrorists,not politicians. THREE CHEERS FOR ISRAEL!!!

It's going to happen.

How's the right of return been working for you thus far?

It's not going to happen.

It does not exist, nor can the UN create it. It is a direct violation of the UN Charter. Entry of non-citizens to any country in the entire world is not a right, but a privilege that the government of the country can give or deny without any reason whatsoever. That is what international law states. Not one of the terrorists should be allowed in to our country.

Correct. It is Israel's business EXCLUSIVELY, and Israel says no.

Did you miss the part where the ersatz "Palestinians" have (i) lost six wars; (ii) engaged in seven decades of unrelenting terror; and (iii) rejected a two-state solution on three occasions? What you did in 1947 (rejecting partition) was really, really stupid and you have been paying for it, in spades, for sixty-three years. But that is not our problem. Israel will annex Judea and Samaria, and repatriate its Arab residents to Jordan, country of their citizenship. Should have taken the deal in 1947. Or the two times since that a two-state solution has been offered, and rejected. But you didn't. Too bad for you. The offer is no longer on the table.

Excellent point. Moreover, the so-called "refugees" are scarcely that -- they departed voluntarily, heeding the call of their leadership which told them to get out of the way of the "conquering Arab armies" who were going to "throw the Jews into the Sea." That makes them displaced persons, and displaced persons cannot claim a right of return. Not even refugees enjoy an unqualified right of return in all instances -- and these people are scarcely refugees! The Arabs who remained in Israel and did not heed the call of their leadership to leave are citizens of Israel, enjoying all the rights and privileges of citizenship -- although not all of the obligations -- to this day. On the other hand, the Jews who were expelled en masse from their homes in Arab and Moslem lands were true refugees. Israel -- despite all its other pressing problems -- gave them a home. It is not the fault of Israel that the 21 Arab states have consistently refused to take in the ersatz "Palestinian" displaced persons, but one can certainly understand why -- the Jordanians threw them out in 1970, where they promptly destabilized southern Lebanon; they have been booted out of Tunisia, Kuwait, Oman, Muscat and Abu Dhabi. No one really likes a terrorist, no matter how much lip service they may pay in public fora.

Pretend that Obama says there is no right of return, the Arabs agree and the Obama/Livni "peace plan" happens. In the best case you will have a miserably poor, failed state cleansed of Jews, and tiny Israel that has a 20% Arab minority. The citizens of the Arab state will do anything to enter tiny Israel and escape the hell-hole Obama and Livni will set up: illegally sneak in, legally marry an Israeli citizen, or demand "family reunification". Within a short time, the struggle will start again, this time in what little land is left for the Jews. Arafat called it the plan of stages.

#3- "Refugees" have always been defined as those actually born in the country. No one born outside is included. Only with the "Palestinians" is anyone even with the weakest biological link-by-marriage considered a refugee. This increases their "pity quotient" with the rest of the world. #4- Minor details: YOU rejected the arab state alongside a Jewish one as proposed by the UN. YOU left at the behest of your brothers' armies. YOU started the war now known as Israel's War of Independence. YOU have started every war with Israel to date. YOU have rejected (and still reject (Hamas. Or did you "forget"?)) the existence of Israel. Your villages were destroyed as a result of a war YOU began. I know you feel what Israel did in 1948 was stupid, but what they did (winning!) wasn't stupid at all. Read above paragraph (#4) to see what was stupid.

first with the birth certificate. then by playing bibi into a corner, removing bibi's negotiating position, and letting him take blame. now he's in ireland telling everyone he's part irish, this will appeal to the irish-catholic vote of new england and elsewhere. during these upcoming elections, where a second term is in no way assured, knowing all the facts and arguements is fine for a court of law maybe, it is not necessarily the point of, or of merit to winning a presidential election.

I am a Palestinian who was born in Jerusalem , but my parents were born in Majdal ( Migdal) east of Ashkelon before 1948.And when you talk about denying the rights of descendants of original refugees I have to make clear to you that those descendants legally and legitimately have the right to claim the lands and homes of their parents and grandparents . Probably if the 1948 war did not happen I would most likely be still living in my parents' home on my parents' land of pre1948.But me in particular, being much reasonable and practical , I would certainly be willing to get compensation for that so I could start a new life somewhere else !And then we would live in peace with Jews !

is a reasonable way of adjudicating the loss of property. Unfortunately Hamas and the PA don't seem to say this. If you read the Palestine papers it seems that the PA negotiators were fixated on the idea of returning huge numbers of Arabs to Israel. If they started talking about millions of dollars instead of millions of refugees then progress could be made.

Obama doesn't speak for me! I only wish I could say the same for most other Americans.

The right of return will come: The Palestinians will come back. The Arab Jews whom we have brought to Israel are also going to go back.