Defence Minister Ehud Barak said on Thursday he thought Israel's right-wing dominated government was "not really conducive to making diplomatic progress" with the Palestinians."
In an interview with Israel's Channel 10 television, Barak said he feared what he called "a tsunami approaching," or "growing international pressure to delegitimise Israel" over a six month stalemate in U.S.-brokered talks with Palestinians.
"If we want to maintain our standing in the world, we must be ready to take initiatives in the diplomatic realm," said Barak, head of the tiny Atzmaut breakaway of the left-of-centre Labour party, without specifying what steps he envisaged.
Barak said the largely right-wing makeup of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government "is not really conducive to making diplomatic progress," alluding to the cabinet's pro-settler ultranationalist members.
When asked why he didn't take stronger steps himself to change the cabinet's path, Barak demurred slightly, saying he still saw some "chance this government can take steps".
Israel has been concerned that in the absence of a deal Palestinians may declare statehood unilaterally later this year, leaving core conflict issues unresolved.
Barak said he was worried that the Quartet of Middle East power brokers -- the United States, United Nations, Russia and European Union -- meeting in Paris this month, may seek to put more pressure on Israel to break the deadlock.
Netanyahu accuses Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of rejecting dialogue with Israel, while Abbas blames Israel for its refusal to renew a partial settlement construction freeze in the occupied West Bank late last year.
Israeli officials have said Netanyahu was weighing a plan to break the deadlock by proposing another interim deal that analysts say could lead to Palestinian statehood without setting final borders with Israel.
Israel and the Palestinians concluded an interim deal in 1993 which won Palestinians limited self-rule in occupied land.
In a related development, Israeli police were reported to have arrested some two dozen settlers during what they called a "day of rage" against the attempted removal of an unauthorised settlement outpost earlier this week in the occupied West Bank.
Reuters television footage and photographs showed several groups of settlers burning tyres or sitting on highways to stop traffic, and police dragging them away, including teenage girls, seen kicking and screaming. There were no reported injuries.
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