ABSTRACT
Israel’s national security environment is volatile, extreme in the breadth and frequency of change in its level of uncertainty. Israel has four Arab neighbor states: Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Israel has signed peace treaties with two of its neighbors, Egypt and Jordan. But permanent hostility defines Israel’s relationships with Syria, Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. In recent years, Israel has witnessed new non-state actors in Syria with the potential to interfere with the integrity of the State of Israel and pose threats. At present, many Israelis are still quite content with satisfying security needs, and see no urgency or need to establish peace with Israel’s neighbors. They believe that the status quo is good for Israel. In reality there is no status quo, as Israel continues to build settlements, hampering the possibility of striking a deal with the Palestinians in the future.
