Contemporary Israel ─ Domestic Politics, Foreign Policy, and Security Challenges

Since its formation in 1948, and particularly since the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin in 1995, Israel has experienced turbulent political change and numerous ongoing security challenges, including major party splits, collapsed peace talks with the Palestinians and Syria, nuclear threats from Iran, and even the specter of civil war as Israel withdrew from Gaza. This essential survey brings together Israeli and American scholars to provide a much-needed balanced introduction to Israel’s domestic politics and foreign policy. Experts tackle this difficult subject in three parts: domestic politics, foreign policy challenges, and strategic challenges. Domestic topics include the Israeli Right and Left; religious, Russian, and Arab parties; the Supreme Court; and the economy. Part two discusses Israel’s complicated and often fractious relationships with the Palestinians and the Arab world, as well as its improved relations with Turkey and India and continuing close relationship with the United States. The Israel-Hizbollah War of 2006 and existential threats to Israel, including the threat from Iran, are detailed in part three. This compelling and authoritative coverage provides students with the necessary framework to understand Israel’s political past and present, as well as the direction Israel is likely to take in the future.

Contents

1. Introduction (Robert O. Freedman)

Part One: Israeli Domestic Politics
2. The Israeli Right (Ilan Peleg)
3. The Israeli Zionist Left (Mark Rosenblum)
4. Israel’s Religious Parties (Shmuel Sander and Aaron Kampinsky)
5. Israel’s Russian Parties (Vladimir Ze’ev Khanin)
6. Israel’s Arab Parties (Hillel Frisch)
7. Israel’s Supreme Court (Pnina Lahav)
8. Israel’s Economy (Ofira Seliktar)

Part Two: Israel’s Foreign Policy Challenges
9. Israel and the Palestinians (Barry Rubin)
10. Israel and the Arab World (David Lesch)
11. Israel’s Strategic Relations with Turkey and India (Efraim Inbar)
12. Israel and the United States (Robert O. Freedman)

Part Three: Israel’s Strategic Challenges
13. Existential Threats to Israel (Steven David)
14. Israel’s Second Lebanon War (Elli Lieberman)