Explaining Domestic Inputs to Israeli Foreign and Palestinian Policy: Politics, Military, Society

摘要

Advancing the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians is of great interest to the United States. To this aim, an understanding of the main factors involved in Israel's foreign policy making is needed. This thesis shows that internal pressures are most significant and assesses the influence of domestic access points to Israel's Palestinian policy. For a complete and current analysis of Israel's policy making process, three areas are discussed. First are the fundamentals that make up Israel's political system, such as the Knesset, political parties, the ruling coalition, and Prime Minister. Second is the role of the Israeli Defense Forces and the balance in civilian-military relations. Third is the mixture of players that color Israel's societal landscape, including subcultures, interest groups, and public opinion. The key finding is a combined ranking of the most important domestic forces driving Israel's Palestinian policy formation in all three areas.