JERUSALEM – Israel's prime minister said Sunday that the unrest in Tunisia over the weekend shows why Israel must be cautious as it pursues peace with the Palestinians.
Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet that the violence surrounding the ouster of Tunisia's longtime president illustrated the widespread instability plaguing the Middle East. He also said it underscored the need for strong security arrangements in any future peace deal with the Palestinians.
"We need to lay the foundations of security in any agreement that we make," he said. "We cannot simply say 'We are signing a peace agreement,' close our eyes and say 'We did it' because we do not know with any clarity that the peace will indeed be honored," he said.
Palestinians accused the Israeli leader of searching for excuses.
"If there was a tsunami in Asia, a flood in Latin America or a lunar eclipse, Netanyahu would use it as a pretext not to negotiate," said chief negotiator Saeb Erekat.
Netanyahu, who leads the hawkish Likud Party, has long made security a top demand for any future peace deal with the Palestinians.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has spent several years reforming his security forces, which now include hundreds of officers who have received U.S. training.
Both U.S. and Israeli officials have praised the progress of the Palestinian forces in cracking down on militants and maintaining law and order in the West Bank.
Israeli officials say the forces are limited in their capabilities. They also note that the Gaza Strip, the other territory claimed for a future Palestinian state, is ruled by the Hamas militant group.
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