Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday praised Yitzhak Shamir, one of his predecessors, who died on Saturday after a long illness. Netanyahu referred to Shamir\'s controversial statement: \"The Arabs are the same Arabs and the sea is the same sea,\" regarded as an assertion that Arabs want to push Israel out of the land. The current premier defended the position, Israeli news site Ynet reported. \"These statements may have sparkd widespread criticism, even contempt, at the time,\" Netanyahu told the cabinet meeting. \"Today, there are certainly far more people who understand that the man saw and understood fundamental truths and did not sway with the changing trends.\" Shamir, from the same Likud party as Netanyahu, is regarded as a hardliner who balked at the vision promoted by the United States of trading occupied land for peace with the Palestinians.