Israel: Background and Relations with the United States
Abstract
On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel declared its independence and was immediately engaged in a war with all of its neighbors. Armed conflict has marked every decade of Israel's existence. Despite its unstable regional environment, Israel has developed a vibrant parliamentary democracy, albeit with relatively fragile governments. The Kadima Party placed first in the March 28, 2006, Knesset (parliament) election; Prime Minister Ehud Olmert formed a four-party coalition government, which another party has since joined. Israel has an advanced industrial, market economy in which the government plays a substantial role. Israel s foreign policy is focused largely on its region, Europe, and the United States. The government views Iran as an existential threat due to its nuclear ambitions and support for anti-Israel terrorists. Israel concluded peace treaties with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994 but never achieved accords with Syria and Lebanon. It negotiated a series of agreements with the Palestinians in the 1990s, but the Oslo peace process ended in 2000, with the intifadah or uprising against Israeli occupation. Israeli and Palestinian officials have accepted but have not implemented the Roadmap, the international framework for achieving a two-state solution to their conflict. Israel unilaterally disengaged from Gaza in summer 2005 and is constructing a security barrier in the West Bank to separate from the Palestinians. The victory of Hamas in the January 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections has complicated Israeli-Palestinian relations as Israel will not deal with a government led by or including ministers from a terrorist group. On June 25, the Hamas military wing kidnaped an Israeli soldier, provoking an Israeli military offensive to force his release.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 30, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA468598
Entities
People
- Carol Migdalovitz
Organizations
- Library of Congress