Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak says that Israel should push forward with negotiations with the Palestinians, despite the upheaval in the Arab world.
Barak made this comment while visiting Paris on Tuesday for talks with the French foreign and defense ministers.
Ehud Barak, Israel's Defense Minister, said, "I still believe that despite all uncertainty Israel should make a real attempt to enter into negotiation and should make it clear to others in the world, to you, to the rest of the world that if there is no advancement toward peace right now, it is not because of Israel. It is because of the
Palestinians, which I believe will be the case if we can't start negotiations."
There has been some worry in Israel that the new governments that emerge in the Arab region might be more hostile to the Jewish state than their predecessors. Israeli skeptics note that elections in the Middle East have brought groups like Hamas and Hezbollah to power.