ABSTRACT
Israel has managed to stay out of the Arab turmoil since its beginning in late 2010. In spite of incidents on the border with Syria and Egypt, the basic strategic status quo with those countries did not change. As to Iran and Hezbollah, the cold war between them and Israel continued. Due to the 2014 confrontation with the Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israel's biggest challenge was to stabilize its relations with the Palestinians. Israel opposes a Palestinian state forced upon it, and at the same time Israel needs the PA. Israel might implement dual containment of both Assad and Syrian armed outfits while staying as much as possible out of the war in Syria. The United States could play an important role in helping Egypt fight insurgents in Sinai and by participating in the coordination between Israel and Egypt with regard to Iran.
