President Obama has a surprising lack of understanding of the key hurdles to having two states for two people. To Israelis, it means a Jewish state living side by side in peace and security with a Palestinian Arab state. From the Palestinian perspective, Israel should be a multiethnic state to which any refugees and their descendants could move, thus ending the Jewish majority and character of Israel.

Border swaps is another point of contention. Under the Clinton formula, the land swap was based on area. To Fatah, it’s based on the value. Both consider Jerusalem to be invaluable. Other impediments are Hamas’ pledge to destroy Israel, Fatah’s acquiescence to their rival’s ideas, the Muslim Brotherhood’s ascendancy in the Middle East and the Arab belief that Obama’s is the most Islamic-friendly administration in history.

Unless Obama can move the Arabs closer to the Clinton plan and thwart the Iranian nuclear bomb, Israel is vulnerable.

Len Bennett, Deerfield Beach