Domestic Turmoil and Foreign Policy Uncertainty

This chapter examines the interaction between domestic factors and Israel’s protracted war in the Middle East, which was launched following the deadly attacks committed by Hamas on 7 October 2023. The first section discusses the rise of Israel's most right-wing government in history, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, following the November 2022 legislative elections, the launch of the judicial overhaul, and the domestic reaction it provoked. The second section uncovers the links between the domestic unrest and Israeli foreign policy prior to 7 October 2023. The final part focuses on the 7 October war, with reference to three foreign policy areas: the Palestinians, the Gulf, and relations with the United States (US). The chapter demonstrates how the domestic prism through which key domestic actors interpreted events and processes played an instrumental role in Israel’s democratic backsliding, its increasingly conflictual relations with the Palestinians and Israel’s regional foreign policy.