Foreign relations of Israel: Difference between revisions
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==South Africa== |
==South Africa== |
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Controversially, Israel developed a close relationship with [[apartheid South Africa]] during the 1970s and 80s. The countries developed a joint arms industry and a shared secret nuclear program<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/rsa/nuke/ |title=RSA Nuclear Weapons Program |publisher=[[Federation of American Scientists]]}}</ref> <ref>{{cite news |title=South Africa and the affordable bomb |publisher=[[Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]] |date=[[1994-08]] |url=http://www.thebulletin.org/article.php?art_ofn=ja94albright}}</ref>. The [[Vela Incident]] has been claimed to have been a joint Israeli-South African weapons test. It is claimed by [[Chris McGreal]] that Israeli military officers served as consultants to the South African army in [[Angola]]. <ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1704037,00.html |title=Brothers in arms - Israel's secret pact with Pretoria |date=[[2006-02-07]] |author=[[Chris McGreal]] |publisher=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> |
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Israel often spoke publicly against racism in [[apartheid South Africa]]. In March 1987 Israel placed military sanctions on apartheid South Africa and in Septmber 1987 added civilian sanctions. In 1994, a good relationship was formed with the new regime in South Africa. |
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==Iran== |
==Iran== |
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Revision as of 06:13, 16 August 2006
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High priorities in the foreign policy of Israel include seeking an end to hostilities with Arab forces, against which it has fought six wars since 1948, and gaining wide acceptance as a sovereign state with an important international role.
The State of Israel joined the United Nations on May 11, 1949. Today, Israel has diplomatic relations with 161 states. [1]
Diplomatic relations
Ever since the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the Jewish state has faced problems in its foreign policy. In 1948, Israel was in diplomatic isolation resulting from being boycotted by its Middle Eastern neighbours (see Arab League boycott). As an alternative, the government of Israel began developing ties with distant countries. The Israeli government sought to establish good relations especially with the United States government and the newly independent states in Africa and Asia.
Before 1967, the State of Israel had established diplomatic relations with a majority of the world's nations, except for the Arab states and most other Muslim countries. Following the Madrid Conference of 1991, and as a direct result of the peace process, Israel established or renewed diplomatic relations with 68 countries.
United States
The relations between Israel and the United States have evolved from an initial United States policy of sympathy and support for the creation of a Jewish state in 1948 to an unusual partnership that links Israel with the United States trying to balance competing interests in the Middle East region.
Arab states
Israel has full diplomatic relations with Egypt (the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty was signed in 1979), Jordan (the Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace was signed in 1994) and Mauritania and trade relations with Qatar. If a person's passport shows any evidence of travel to Israel, barring a diplomatic passport, they are forbidden entry to the Sultanate of Oman, among other Arab and Muslim states. [2] (See also Israel#Israeli passport)
On October 1, 1994, the Gulf States publicly announced their support for a review of the Arab boycott, in effect abolishing the secondary and tertiary boycotts against Israel. Israel has diplomatic relations with 9 non-Arab Muslim states and with 32 of the 43 Sub-Saharan African states that are not members of the Arab League. Israel established relations with the People's Republic of China and India in 1992. Sino-Israeli and Indo-Israeli relations have blossomed ever since. In 2000, Israel became India's second largest military equipment supplier, with military transactions signed or in the pipeline exceeding 3 billion USD.
Following the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, diplomats have been discussing the possibility of improved relations between Israel and Iraq. However, then-Iraqi PM Iyad Allawi said in 2004 that Iraq would not establish ties with Israel. [3]
In 2005, Saudi Arabia announced the end of its ban on Israeli goods and services, mostly due to its application to the World Trade Organization, where one member country cannot have a total ban on another. The Saudis have yet to offer full political recognition.
China
On January 9, 1950, the Israeli government extended recognition to the People's Republic of China, but diplomatic relations were not established until 1992.
Japan
On May 15, 1952, diplomatic relations were established with the government of Japan at a Legation level. However, the Japanese government refrained from appointing a Minister Plenipotentiary to Israel until 1955. Relations between the two states were distant at first, but after 1958, as demand in Japan for Israeli commodities was rising, relations between the governments were warming up. On November 22, 1973, the Japanese government stated it was reconsidering its relations with the Israeli government due to Israel's retention of lands occupied in 1967, but no break occurred.
Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc
While the Soviet Union and the communist states of Eastern Europe (except Romania) broke diplomatic relations with Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War, those relations were restored by 1991.
South Africa
Controversially, Israel developed a close relationship with apartheid South Africa during the 1970s and 80s. The countries developed a joint arms industry and a shared secret nuclear program[4] [5]. The Vela Incident has been claimed to have been a joint Israeli-South African weapons test. It is claimed by Chris McGreal that Israeli military officers served as consultants to the South African army in Angola. [6]
Iran
Relations between Israel and Iran have alternated from close political alliances between the two states during the era of the Pahlavi dynasty to hostility following the rise to power of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Currently, the countries do not have diplomatic relations with each other.
International organizations
The first international organization which the Israeli government joined was the International Wheat Council, established as part of Point Four Program in early 1949. Since May 1949, the State of Israel is a member the United Nations. (See also Israel and the United Nations)
References
- ^ Israel's Diplomatic Missions Abroad (Israeli MFA)
- ^ Oman (lonelyplanet.com)
- ^ Iraq not to establish diplomatic ties with Israel: Allawi (People's Daily) July 27, 2004
- ^ "RSA Nuclear Weapons Program". Federation of American Scientists.
- ^ "South Africa and the affordable bomb". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 1994-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Chris McGreal (2006-02-07). "Brothers in arms - Israel's secret pact with Pretoria". The Guardian.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
See also
Arab-Israeli peace diplomacy and treaties
- Paris Peace Conference, 1919
- Faisal-Weizmann Agreement
- 1949 Armistice Agreements
- Camp David Accords (1978)
- Madrid Conference of 1991
- Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace (1994)
- Oslo Accords (1993)
- Camp David 2000 Summit
- Peace Process in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- Projects working for peace among Israelis and Arabs
- List of Middle East peace proposals
- International law and the Arab-Israeli conflict