Levy: Bouteflika-Barak handshake was positive for acceptance of Israel

"The warm handshake" between Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak was favored by the funerals of the late King Hassan II, said Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy.

The short meeting between President Bouteflika and Prime Minister Barak was "positively welcomed in Israel," the Israeli foreign minister said, adding that "this first brief dialogue" is highly significant for Israel and an extension of the endeavor to "accept the state of Israel within the Arab World."

The interview was the first ever published by an Algerian paper with an Israeli official.

This step will contribute to the Israeli-Arab peace process, given the respect that Algeria enjoys among the Palestinians, Syrians and Israelis, Levy said.