President Obama Finally Gets One Thing Right In His Middle East Policy

He calls for Israel and the future Palestinian state to the pre-1967 borders

(President Obama delivering a speech about US policy on Middle East and North Africa at the State Dept., in Washington 5/19/11. Photo by Reuters)

President Obama on Thursday (5/19/11) made an official but rarely stated US policy that the future Palestinian state should be based on the borders that existed before the 1967 war.

"We believe the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states," Obama said.

This U.S. endorsement of the policy on borders is an unique statement thats been clearly stated in any Middle East speech thus given so far. He has clearly sided to a key demand of the Palestinians and has off course the angered the Israelis.

However, at the same time, President Obama reiterated his unwavering support for Israel's security, and has endorsed major negotiating positions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including the contested handover of security responsibilities by Israel when the conditions on the ground will allow it.

President Obama declared the U.S. commitment to Israel's security as "unshakable," and said "every state has the right to self-defense, and Israel must be able to defend itself -- by itself -- against any threat."

"Provisions must also be robust enough to prevent a resurgence of terrorism; to stop the infiltration of weapons; and to provide effective border security," Obama continued, touching on the major concerns of Israel in facing a new Palestinian neighbor. "The full and phased withdrawal of Israeli military forces should be coordinated with the assumption of Palestinian security responsibility in a sovereign, non-militarized state. And the duration of this transition period must be agreed, and the effectiveness of security arrangements must be demonstrated."

"The status quo is unsustainable, and Israel too must act boldly to advance a lasting peace," Obama said, adding that "the dream of a Jewish and democratic state cannot be fulfilled with permanent occupation."

As again, these are just words and nothing set into stone. Off course there will be some deviations from the exact 1967 borders due to vast swaths of lands Israel used to build settlements and will have to be negotiated and swapped as President Obama suggested. Only time will tell what will actually occur on the ground but it is true that change is inevitable and the status quo has to change - not later shoved in the back burner but now.

Read and watch CNN and Haaretz`s coverage on President Obama`s Middle East policy on 5/19/11

Also read post Obama speech response and impact: Obama`s Speech: Stuttering into the Future - Aljazeera