Netanyahu Doesn't Back Down in Speech to Congress

Benjamin Netanyahu got a warm welcome on Capitol Hill today, parading into a joint session of Congress with a gaggle of supportive lawmakers and earning applause after nearly every line. He emphasized the positive in US-Israeli relations—despite his recent flap with President Obama—praised the “courageous Arab protesters” across the Middle East, and called for a “far-reaching compromise” with the Palestinians, the New York Times reports.

But Netanyahu didn’t back down from his insistence that Israel could not return to its pre-1967 borders, and said he refused to negotiate with Hamas, which he called “a Palestinian version of al-Qaeda.” He also said Palestinians would have to stay outside Israel’s borders, with only a limited right of return. But he said Israel was willing to give back some land where Israelis have settled. “I am willing to make painful compromises,” he said.