A day after Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Egypt could become a new Iran, British Foreign Secretary William Hague urged Israel to avoid “belligerent” language.

Hague, currently visiting the Mideast, called on Israel, the United States and the Palestinians to show “bold leadership” in the search for peace, saying he feared the uncertainty in the region could put the Mideast peace process on the back burner.

Israeli officials were generally mum about Hague’s “belligerent” comment, but a Foreign Ministry spokesman told FoxNews.Com that the unrest in Egypt makes this a delicate time for Israel.

“We are witnessing a situation when a regime faces a serious challenge,” said Yigal Palmor. “We hear talk of a cancellation of a 30-year peace treaty. That’s clearly a cause of concern for us.”

While the Israeli government has been relatively quiet on events in Cairo, Netanyahu’s remarks about Egypt possibly going the way of Iran, made to a group of European legislators on a visit to Israel, were a break from that.

Israeli diplomacy has also pushed behind the scenes to try to support Mubarak as a way to keep stability in the region.

There is a certain amount of fear in Israel about what free and fair elections in Egypt might bring. When the Palestinians held elections in 2006 – at the insistence of the United States – Hamas, which aims to destroy Israel, won a majority of the seats in Parliament.