Foreword. "Israel, formally known as "The State of Israel," was established on 14 May 1948, and has since played a pivotal role in international affairs, particularly in the politics of the Middle East and North Africa. Israel's relations with its Arab neighbors have been tense for decades, and a lasting peace has never appeared more likely. Yet, we already live in a time of perpetual change, and naturally, the politics of Israel and the surrounding region of the Middle East and North Africa are not immune to this pattern. Realizing this, TPQ decided to focus on the Changing Dynamics of Israel's Foreign Policy in its upcoming Fall 2022 issue," writes Aybars Arda Kılıçer.

The Abraham Accords - Israel and the Middle East - What Next?. “On 15 September 2020, the "Abraham Accords" between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain were signed in a solemn ceremony on the lawns of the White House. A few weeks later, Morocco and Sudan also joined the accords. The accords were reached with the support of the United States, which sought to see them as a cornerstone for its efforts to promote regional cooperation in security and economy and to ensure regional stability.” writes Eyal Zisser.

As Israel Looks East, The Gulf is Both A Way Station and a Destination. “Unlike Israel, the Gulf states were not as concerned about an Iranian nuclear weapon, which was unlikely to be aimed at them. Instead, they focused on Iranian threats closer to home, including its interference in neighbors’ internal affairs, its ballistic missile programs that could carry conventional as well as nuclear warheads, and support for terrorist movements that targeted them,” writes Gerald M. Feierstein.

The Two-State Delusion. “At the time, though, nobody envisaged a return to the two-state solution. Quite the contrary: Palestinian nationhood was rejected by the entire international community, including the western democracies, the Soviet Union (then the foremost supporter of radical Arabism), and the Arab world itself (as late as 1974, Syrian President Hafez al-Assad openly referred to Palestine as “a basic part of southern Syria”),” writes Efraim Karsh.

Peace, Security, or the Economy? Israeli Narratives About the Abraham Accords. “In contrast to the quantitative findings that found more mentions of general cooperation, the qualitative analysis indicates that economics and security were primary considerations regarding Israel’s justification of the Abraham Accords to domestic audiences,” write Maia Hallward and Taib Biygautane.

Selective Reconciliation: The Rapprochement Between Israel and the Gulf Monarchies. “The older generation of Gulf Arabs – by definition more prosperous and politically influential – tend to be more interested in the destiny of their brethren than younger people. The contrast between the younger and older age groups’ views on Palestine is nowhere more evident than in the Saudi royal family,” writes Zoltan Barany.

Israeli Foreign Policy in Light of Dramatic Changes in the Region: Diplomatic Success and Challenges Ahead. “The Turkish support of the political Islam (Muslim Brotherhood), which grew more substantial in the first years of the Arab Spring, and even came to power in Egypt, was received with great disapproval among most of the regional actors, in Israel and in the Arab world,” writes Michael Harari.

Israel’s Rightward Pull Versus Regional Rapprochement. “It is a political curiosity that the left and right are apparently aligned regarding the Accords, but only the right’s opposition is of political significance. That became painfully obvious in the election of 1 November 2022, which brought the pro-Netanyahu bloc back to power with a comfortable 65-seat majority in the 120-seat Knesset,” writes Paul Scham.

Trends in the Terrorist Threats Against Türkiye and Its Counterterrorism Measures. “In a recent development, following a thawing in their diplomatic relations, which were broken in 2008, Turkish and Israeli security services are reported to cooperate in counterterrorism. Although no specific details are available in media sources, this cooperation was formalized in 2022 during the official visits of Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog to Türkiye on March 9, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on June 23, and Defense Minister Benny Gantz on October 27,” writes Joshua Sinai.

Complementary Facets: Türkiye-Israel Relations and The Abraham Accords. “Following the aggravation of its regional isolation, accentuated by the election of Joe Biden to the White House and the worsening of the crisis shaking its economy, Türkiye adopted a conciliatory tone and reached out towards all its neighbors in the region, among others, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the UAE,” write Rémi Daniel, Gallia Lindenstrauss and Yoel Guzansky.

Israel’s One-State Reality and The Challenge Of Democratization. “While the few voices calling for restraint have been drowned out by demands for removing legal restraints on Israeli soldiers operating against Palestinians, the overwhelming majority of Israeli Jews voted this year without thinking much about the nuances of Israeli policy toward Palestinians,” writes Ian S. Lustick.

Saudi-Israeli Relations: Progress, Risks and Opportunities. “The primary strategic driver of normalization has been the rise of Iran in the regional power equation. Israel views the Islamic Republic of Iran as an existential threat, while Saudi Arabia views Iran as a revisionist state whose goal of regional dominance would come at the expense of Saudi Arabia; moreover, Iran’s methods of achieving its goals undermine Saudi Arabia’s position in the region as well as its domestic security. Open collaboration between Israel and Saudi Arabia dates from June 2015, when former Saudi general bin Majed bin Anwar Eshki and former Israeli ambassador Dore Gold, shared a stage at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington to discuss their countries' shared concerns about Iran,” writes Chelsi Mueller.

Warm Peace in the Making – Examining P2p Relations Two Years to The Abraham Accords. “Despite the warm statements, the relationship between the parties to the Abraham Accords remains primarily on the governmental level. Cultural exchanges, student or other “cultural experience” programs are only in their incubated phase,” write Nir Boms and Ahmed Khuzaie.

The Impact of Türkiye and Israel’s Rapprochement on the Maritime Delimitation Dispute in the Eastern Mediterranean. “Instead of following such a neutral position, the EU clearly supported the Greek and Southern Cyprus’ claims in the past, making the solution to the Eastern Mediterranean maritime borders dispute an arduous task,” writes Levent Kırval.

Between Crises and Fragile Stability: Türkiye-Israel Affairs. “Since Türkiye was seen as the natural inheritor of this Ottoman legacy, it was attributed to a historical mission to “unify the elements of the fragmented nation [referring to the former Ottoman societies]”,” write Umut Can Adısönmez and Laçin Idil Öztığ.