Obama backs Palestinian border demands

FORCEFULLY stepping into an explosive Middle East debate, US President Barack Obama endorsed a key Palestinian demand for the borders of its future state and prodded Israel to accept that it can never have a truly peaceful nation based on “permanent occupation”.

Obama’s urging that a Palestinian state be based on 1967 borders — before the Six Day War in which Israel occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza — was a significant shift in the US approach and seemed certain to anger Israel.

Israel has said an endorsement of the 1967 borders would prejudge negotiations, and Obama took pains to show respect for Israel’s views ahead of his meetings today with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.