Barak warns of "political tsunami" to hit Israel

Israel’s Defence Minister has warned that a “political tsunami” could hit the country through the wave of international recognition of a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders. “We are facing a political tsunami of which most members of the public are unaware,” Ehud Barak told an audience at the International Security Studies Institute in Tel Aviv on Sunday.

“There is an international movement which will recognize a Palestinian state on 1967 borders,” he added. “It would be wrong to ignore this tsunami… Israel’s de-legitimization is in sight. It’s very dangerous and requires action.”

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Barak said that he considered the attempts to break the deadlock in the peace process to be a threat at this particular time, given the “ever-widening gaps” between the Palestinian and Israeli negotiators. The period set by the international Mideast Quartet to resume the political process between the Palestinians and Israelis and reach a bilateral peace agreement, ends in September.