G8 statement shouldn’t refer to Israel’s 1967 borders: Harper

Prime Minister Stephen Harper blocked a mention of support for Israel’s return to its 1967 borders in a G8 communiqué aimed at kickstarting negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Harper’s stance follows a speech by Barack Obama in which the U.S. president called for talks based on the 1967 borders. Israel has steadfastedly rejected the idea and Harper criticized the G8’s position for neglecting Obama’s call for concessions by the Palestinian side. "Obviously I would like to see reference to elements that were also in President Obama’s speech," Harper told reporters at the G8 summit in Deauville, France. "Such as, for instance, the fact that one of the states must be a Jewish state. The fact that the Palestinian state must be de-militarized.”

The Globe and Mail