Dissent In The Ranks

The Hill:

Hoyer bucks Obama on Israeli borders
By Mike Lillis - 05/22/11 10:57 AM ET

Pushing back against President Obama, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) suggested Sunday that Israel should not be required to shrink its borders as a precondition of peace talks with the Palestinians.

"Israel's borders must be defensible and must reflect the reality on the ground," Hoyer said to a standing ovation at the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Hoyer called for "a return to the negotiating table without preconditions."

Obama on Thursday had suggested that a return to Israel's 1967 borders be the basis of renewed peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

"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 from the State Department.

The remarks drew howls from Israeli leaders, GOP presidential contenders and a number of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. On Sunday, Hoyer seemed to join the dissent.

Hoyer's comments came just moments before Obama took the stage at the AIPAC gathering.