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Israel's Netanyahu Downplays Rift With Obama


President Barack Obama (r) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, May 20, 2011
President Barack Obama (r) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, May 20, 2011

Israel's prime minister is downplaying his dispute with the U.S. president about the borders of a future Palestinian state.

Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday the rift with Barack Obama has been "blown way out of proportion."

Netanyahu has said Israel could not go back to the borders that it had before the 1967 Six-Day War, as proposed by Obama. The Israeli prime minister has said those lines would be "indefensible."

Netanyahu met Obama at the White House last week.

This week in Washington, the prime minister will speak to AIPAC, the powerful pro-Israel lobby.

Netanyahu will also address a joint meeting of Congress.

Meanwhile, Palestinians say they will move ahead with plans to seek U.N. recognition of a state in the West Bank.

On Thursday, Obama said talks leading to a Palestinian state should be based on Israel's pre-1967 war borders, with the sides making land swaps so both would have secure and recognized borders. Palestinians have embraced the U.S. president's remarks.

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