Asia’s Place in Twenty-First-Century Israel and Its Diplomatic Network: Conclusion and Implications

This concluding chapter assesses the state of Israel-Asia relations in the first two decades of the twenty-first century. It confirms the five premises put forward in this introductory chapter in light of the case studies presented in the twelve thematic chapters, that is, it discusses the sources of the transition the relations have witnessed in the last three decades, the current scope of Israel-Asia relations, the relevance of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the meaning of Asia to present-day Israel, and the validity of the division of various bilateral ties within three circles of importance. It concludes with the suggestion that Israel’s relations with Asia are on the verge of entering-indeed, perhaps they have already done so-a new stage of cooperation on issues exceeding the bilateral dimension and involving intensive strategic relations.