Israel in the Middle East: six strategies over the course of 75 years

During its 75 years of existence, Israel’s strategies vis-à-vis its neighbours have alternated drastically in accordance with the vicissitudes in regional and global affairs: from reliance on force, to a status quo approach, to combining ‘land-for-peace’ approach while participating in ‘new wars’, to peace initiation, to unilateral action, to improved relations with the Arab world while trying to avoid the Palestinian issue. This article describes the evolution of these strategies, discusses their origin and underlying assumptions, and assesses their future implications.