Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the idea of a Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders, saying it would lead to “Hamas 400 metres from my home”.

Mr Netanyahu told Israel’s Channel 2: “When they say, 'Go back to the 67 lines,' I stand against. When they say, 'Don't build in Jerusalem,' I stand against."

Referring to calls from US President Barack Obama for a peace agreement based on 1967 lines, Mr Netanyahu said it would be easy to make a move that would be applauded by the international community. “I could go back to the impossible-to-defend ’67 lines, and divide Jerusalem, and we’d get Hamas 400 metres from my home,” he said.

“They’d applaud just like they applauded the parties that pulled out of Gaza. Those parties got applause, and we got a rain of rockets.”