ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an analytical and historical background of how internal political dynamics in Israel influenced the making of its foreign policy regarding the peace process in the period from 1967 until 1988. This is, of course, the period which forms the historical backdrop to the beginning of the peace process. The reason for starting in 1967 is that this was the year which marked the collapse of the national consensus on matters relating to security issues. Furthermore, we need to look at the years before 1988 to understand that internal dynamics have always been very important to the conduct of Israel’s foreign policy. The formulation of Israel’s foreign policy vis-à-vis the peace process was driven by domestic political dynamics and came as a result of clashing perspectives, conflicting interests, and competition between personalities within successive governments. Hence several key features in Israel’s politics and foreign policy which had a direct impact on the road to the peace process are identified.
