Date December 03 , 2011
Panetta says strong diplomacy is key to Israel’s security and peace process with Palestine.
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called on Israel to take diplomatic steps to address what he described as its growing isolation in the Middle East.
Panetta, in remarks he delivered in Washington evening, stressed US efforts to bolster regional stability and to safeguard Israel s security.
"Israel, too, has a responsibility to pursue these shared goals -- to build regional support for Israel and The United States security objectives," Panetta said.
"I believe security is dependent on a strong military but it is also dependent on strong diplomacy. And unfortunately, over the past year, we ve seen Israel s isolation from its traditional security partners in the region grow."
Panetta lamented the moribund peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, which he said had "effectively been put on hold."
Panetta s comments echoed remarks he made on a visit to Israel in October, his first since taking over as defense secretary in September.
Turkey was the first Muslim state to recognize Israel, in 1949, but relations worsened last year when Israeli commandos boarded an aid flotilla challenging a naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, killing nine Turks in ensuing clashes.
Israel is also closely watching developments in Egypt, where the country s new rulers may be more susceptible to widespread anti-Israeli sentiment than it was under ousted president, Hosni Mubarak.
Egyptians voted on Friday in the opening round of the country s first free election in six decades. The Muslim Brotherhood s party and its ultra conservative Salafi rivals looked set to top the polls.
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