PrintApril 19, 2010
Hillary Clinton Drops 'Secure' Borders For Israel From Independence Day Message To Jewish State
U .N. Security Council Resolution 242, adopted after the 1967 Six-Day War called on Israel to withdraw from some -- but not all -- captured territories in exchange for "secure and recognized" borders for the Jewish state. Ever since, UN Res. 242 has been the international template for a permanent peace agreement.
However, Secretary of State Clinton, in her Independence Day message to Israel, speaks only of Israel settling for internationally "recognized" borders, but pointedly dropped any mention that Israel also was entitled to "secure" borders. The omission is telling. Abba Eban called the pre-1967 armistice line the "Auschwitz line" because it would leave Israel totally defenseless with only a 9-mile waist between a Palestinian state and the Mediterranean Sea.
"Secure and recognized" in Res. 242 made it clear that there would have to be major modifications of the pre-1967 lines. Israel has relied on this 242 terminology in its determination to keep Jerusalem united and to retain major nearby Jewish population blocs in the West Bank.
Previous administrations always echoed "secure and recognized" when discussing their approach to Israel's permanent borders. Clinton's message signals that the Obama administration no longer does. To accord Israel only "recognized" borders would leave the door wide open for such borders to turn out to be "insecure." Since her message obviously was drafted by the State Department, this is clearly not an oversight.
