INTRODUCTION: Israel’s Foreign Relations: An Overview

Over the past 75 years, Israel has developed a varied range of relations with states across the globe. Today, it can be argued that the overall balance sheet of Israel’s foreign relations is positive. Israel maintains diplomatic relations with over 160 states, almost a threefold increase from the low point of its diplomatic isolation in the 1970s. Rather than shunning Israel as in the past, many states across the globe, including those from the Middle East are now actively pursuing ties with Jerusalem. But, at the same time, there is a certain fragility to these burgeoning relationships, which have ebbed and flowed with the vicissitudes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the ever-changing dynamics of global politics. Despite the extensive set of relations that have been developed, Israel has largely failed to translate fully those ties into long-term political support.