Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak was optimistic on Monday about the chances for a Middle East peace deal.

"We have prospects for progress in the Palestinian arena," Barak said during a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in south Russia's Sochi.

Direct talks between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resumed on September 2 in Washington, after an almost two-year hiatus, with the two leaders expressing their readiness to search for a compromise.

The sides agreed to direct talks in late August after the United States and other members of the Middle East Quartet of mediators (the UN, EU and Russia) promoted the initiative.

"We are waiting for support from the international community. With maximum caution, we are awaiting a signal," Barak said.

"We live in a difficult region, which cannot be compared to North America and Europe," he added.

He cited British politician Winston Churchill: "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

"We see many difficulties and opportunities, and we prefer to be optimists," Barak said.

Putin replied that in Russia people say a pessimist is a well-informed optimist.

"We will continue to be optimists," the Israeli defense minister said, although, he added, Israel has many threats - the radical Islamic group Hamas in the south, Hezbollah in the north, and Iran.

SOCHI, September 6 (RIA Novosti)