The Arab Spring has become an "anti-democratic" and "anti-liberal" wave that threatens the security of Israel and the West, according to Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister Photo: GETTY
By David Blair, Chief Foreign Correspondent
Western leaders who backed the uprisings against authoritarian regimes in Egypt and Tunisia were being "naive", he added.
The prime minister, addressing the Israeli parliament, gave a strikingly pessimistic survey of the tumultuous events in the Arab world. "In February, when millions of Egyptians thronged to the streets in Cairo, commentators and quite a few Israeli members of the opposition said that we're facing a new era of liberalism and progress," said Mr Netanyahu.
Instead, the popular movement which toppled the autocratic leaders of Tunisia and Egypt had become an "anti-Western, anti-liberal, anti-Israeli and anti-democratic wave," he said.
Radical Islam was taking advantage of the situation, he added, and the end result was unlikely to be a new era of democracy in the Middle East. "I ask today, who here didn't understand reality? Who here didn't understand history?" added Mr Netanyahu. "Israel is facing a period of instability and uncertainty in the region. This is certainly not the time to listen to those who say follow your heart."
The prime minister added that Israel's peace treaty with Egypt was a cornerstone of security in the Middle East. The new uncertainty meant that he would not offer hasty concessions to the Palestinians.
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"I will not establish Israel's policy on illusions," said Mr Netanyahu. "We insist on foundations of stability and security – all the more so now."
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