Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said Sunday that events in Egypt, Lebanon and Tunisia show that talk about Israel being the source of instability in the region is baseless. Speaking during a tour of the Gush Etzion bloc of Jewish communities south of Jerusalem, Shalom said that the events show that Israel had to take care of its security concerns.
Local council chairman Shaul Goldstein, who met with Shalom, reported on growing cooperation and stable relations between area Jews and Arabs. Joining them was the mukhtar of the Arab village of Khirbat-Zecharia, one of Goldstein's partners in coexistence.