Washington : During a speech to pro-Israeli lobby in here, US president Barak Obama says US commitment to Israeli security is "ironclad", he has rejected Palestinian plans to seek statehood at the United Nations.
Obama was speaking at the annual policy meeting of American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the main pro-Israel lobby in the US, on Sunday amid unprecedented tumult in the Middle East and new strains in US-Israeli relations.
"No vote at the United Nations will ever create an independent Palestinian state," Obama said.
"And the United States will stand up against efforts to single Israel out at the UN or in any international forum. Because Israel's legitimacy is not a matter for debate."
On Thursday, the US president for the first time publicly called on Israel to accept a return to territorial lines in place before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, with mutual land swaps with Palestinians, to frame a secure peace.
The formula was rejected by Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, who told Obama at a White House summit on Friday that the 1967 borders were "indefensible".
That prompted Palestinian officials to say that they would seek recognition for Palestinian statehood in the UN General Assembly in September.
European Union states, UN diplomats say, are looking increasingly favourably on the idea of recognising a Palestinian state.
However, any statehood vote would have first to be approved in the UN Security Council, where the US - which insists on a negotiated peace accord - has a veto.
On Sunday, Obama reiterated the US's commitment to defending the existence of Israel.
"You also see our commitment to Israel's security in our steadfast opposition to any attempt to de-legitimise the State of Israel," he said.
However, Obama said the current situation in the Middle East was "unsustainable".
"And I indicated on Thursday that the recent agreement between Fatah and Hamas poses an enormous obstacle to peace.
"No country can be expected to negotiate with a terrorist organisation sworn to its destruction.
"We will continue to demand that Hamas accept the basic responsibilities of peace: recognizing Israel's right to exist, rejecting violence, and adhering to all existing agreements.
"And we once again call on Hamas to release Gilad Shalit, who has been kept from his family for five long years.
"And yet, no matter how hard it may be to start meaningful negotiations under the current circumstances, we must acknowledge that a failure to try is not an option. The status quo is unsustainable."
Obama said there had been "nothing particularly original" in his speech on Thursday.
"But since questions have been raised, let me repeat what I actually said," he said.
"I said that the United States believes that negotiations should result in two states, with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, and permanent Israeli borders with Palestine.
"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.
"The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, and reach their potential, in a sovereign and contiguous state."
