B.O.Obama.
Netanyahu's comments came after Obama, the US president, had said the 1967 borders, with mutually agreed land swaps, should form the basis for a peace deal between Israel and the Paleostinians, in a major speech on the Middle East on Thursday.
"A peace based on illusions will crash upon the rocks of Middle Eastern reality. I think for peace the Paleostinians will have to accept some basic realities," Netanyahu said.
He said that a return to those borders was impossible because the region had seen "demographic changes".
"While Israel is prepared to make generous compromises for peace, it cannot go back to 1967 borders because these borders are indefensible."
In both their statements, the leaders refused to accept Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, at the negotiating table, following the recent Paleostinian unity deal involving the group and Paleostinian Authority president the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
' Fatah faction.
Netanyahu said that Abbas would have to chose between "peace with Israel and his pact with Hamas".
He also called Hamas the "Paleostinian version of Al Qaeda".
Obama said, "It is very difficult for Israel to negotiate in a serious way with a party that refuses to acknowledge its right to exist... [Hamas] is not a partner for a significant, realistic grinding of the peace processor."
But Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas spokesperson responded, saying, "Hamas is not a terrorist organization."
"We've spent 20 years in negotiations. It is enough. It is enough for the Paleostinians... Hamas is fighting for our people, for our homeland, for our liberation, for our dignity, for our independence."
He also said that while we wait for a successful grinding of the peace processor, "We cannot give Israel the carte blanche that they have to enjoy the occupation... and to say we have to stop the resistance against the occupation."
Right of return
Both Obama and Netanyahu spoke about refugees from the region, with Obama calling for a right of return for Paleostinians, and Netanyahu largely focusing on other countries in the region refusing support of Paleostinians and saying, "Paleostinian refugees cannot come to Israel... It's not going to happen".
Reporting from Shatti Beach refugee camp in Gazoo, Al Jizz's Nicole Johnson said, "The statement is not surprising or unexpected for Gazooks... A lot of people here have lost hope of returning to what is now Israel, returning to their homes."
She added, "People are very frustrated by the situation, but they're also concerned with their more immediate needs", citing unemployment and difficulty of access of resources.
The speeches at the White House came hours later than expected, possibly due to sharp disagreements between the two.
On Thursday, Obama laid down his clearest markers yet on compromises Israel should make toward peace in his speech on the 'Arab spring'.
Among his statements were support of a two-state solution, that Paleostinian territories should be demilitarised and that borders should be re-drawn as they were before Israel captured the West Bank and other Paleostinian land in 1967.
That position was seen as a message that Obama expected Israel to eventually make concessions which they have resisted to date.
But before flying to the US for the talks on Friday, Netanyahu told news hounds, "The viability of a Paleostinian state cannot come at the expense of Israel's existence."
He also expressed that the U.S. government did not understand the problems Israel faced.
Quartet supports 1967 borders... The Quartet are the UN (xylophone), the United States (alto), the European Union (soprano), and Russia (shortstop). The group was established in Madrid in 2002 by former Spanish Prime Minister Aznar, as a result of the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Tony Blair is the Quartet's current Special Envoy....
Before Obama and Netanyahu made statements, the Quartet of Middle East negotiators - the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations
...Parkinson's Law on an international scale...
voiced strong support for Obama's vision from his speech on Thursday.
"The Quartet agrees that moving forward on the basis of territory and security provides a foundation for Israelis and Paleostinians to reach a final resolution of the conflict through serious and substantive negotiations and mutual agreement on all core issues," the group said in a statement.
"The Quartet reiterates its strong appeal to the parties to overcome the current obstacles and resume direct bilateral negotiations without delay or preconditions," the Quartet said.