international community. The forces shaping these new relationships are far more significant

then the often-overstated ideological differences between the two major political blocs in Israeli

politics: the center-left Labor and the right-wing Likud. One factor that transcends domestic

Israeli politics is the role Israel plays in the post-Cold War international system dominated by the

United States, which treats Israel as its key ally in a region seen as crucial for American interests.

Yet changes within Israel itself, among the Palestinians and elsewhere in the Middle East have

also placed the Israelis at a crossroad in the development of their foreign policy goals and the

options available to them (Breger 1).

Due in part to an electoral system based on proportional representation, Israeli foreign

policy is driven more by public opinion than is the foreign policy of many countries. In addition,

unlike the US , with its strong sense of security made possible by wide oceans and friendly

neighbors, the Israeli public never enjoyed the luxury of placing foreign policy issues low on its

scale of political concerns. As a result, public opi

democratic institutions in Israel, the level of involvement by the Israeli military in that country's

the foreign ministry during this period to the prerogatives of the military. Indeed, the Israeli

such notorious dictators as Jean-Claude Duvalier in Haiti and Mobutu Sese in Zaire; Israel even

powerful nation protecting you from the consequences of non-compliance (Twing 8).

population centers into the supposed buffer zones through the establishment of settlements in the

As a result of such practices, Israeli foreign policy for much of the 1970s and 1980s was

questioning the cost of the racism and intolerance which the occupation of Arab lands has

The overriding sentiment among the Israeli public regarding its foreign relations is that

Increasing numbers of Israelis are recognizing that their survival really is not threatened

anti-Semitism makes consistently rational strategic and diplomatic decisions on the part of

this isolation, combined with the aforementioned obsession with national security, was eclipsing

with China, Japan, and the newly industrialized nations of East and Southeast Asia (Sauvant 45).

Some common words found in the essay are:
Middle Eastern, Israel Israel, Middle East, Quandt Szczepanski, Security Council, Gulf War, Increasing Israelis, Jewish Democratic, UN Assembly, Indeed Israeli, foreign policy, israeli foreign, israeli public, israeli foreign policy, foreign relations, middle eastern, public opinion, middle east, foreign ministry, gulf war, international community, israeli foreign relations, middle eastern economic,
Approximate Word count = 1860
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)