ABSTRACT
Israel’s leaders were supported by a society that had a clear sense of national mission — the ingathering and integration of exiles, and the pursuit of social and economic solutions. Torn by internal controversy over the future of the territories gained in 1967, the Lebanon War and the proper role of religion in national life, Israel has also been racked by inflation, international debt and financial mishaps. In general discussions of Israel’s future borders, two seemingly polar-opposite positions, the maximalist and the minimalist, arrive at similar conclusions: that adjustments of the pre-1967 borders in the context of territorial compromise serve little strategic purpose. Diplomatic debate over Israel’s right to establish settlements in territories gained in 1967 has obfuscated the main issue. Prior Israeli commitment and settlement measures to stake out what it regards as strategic territorial imperatives, would better position Israel for the negotiations ahead.
