Obama, Netanyahu disagree over borders, agree on peace

Despite both President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conceding differences on a future state for Palestinians, they expressed their mutual support toward peace in the Middle East, saying that disagreements arise between friends.

President Obama, speaking after a prolonged meeting with Netanyahu Friday at the White House, said that true peace could only occur if Israel was allowed to defend itself against threats. Netanyahu thanked Obama for affirming the commitment to Israel's security.

In a meeting that went two hours longer than scheduled, the pair also discussed the sweeping changes across the region, and how they affect the security of the U.S. and Israel.

The two leaders spoke a day after Obama's speech, in which he said that the United States supports a two- state solution, with the Palestinian state based along borders that existed before the 1967 Six Day War -- Israeli forces occupied east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.

Netanyahu explicitly said that a return to the pre-1967 borders isn't going to happen.

While Israel is prepared to make generous compromises for peace, it cannot go back to the 1967 lines because these lines are indefensible, Netanyahu said. Because they don't take into account certain changes that have taken place on the ground.

Netanyahu's comment represents one of the clear differences he has with Obama.

These were not the boundaries of peace, Netanyahu said of the dates between 1948 and 1967. They were the bounds of repeated wars.