Foreign relations of Israel

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Foreign relations of Israel deals with some of the following issues:

In addition to seeking an end to hostilities with Arab forces, against which it has fought five wars since 1948, Israel has given high priority to gaining wide acceptance as a sovereign state with an important international role. Before 1967, it had established diplomatic relations with a majority of the world's nations, except for the Arab states and most other Muslim countries. 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.

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Diplomatic relations with 160 countries

Ever since the establishment of Israel in 1948, the state 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 Israeli government began developing ties with distant countries. The Israeli government sought to establish good relations especially with the U.S. government, and the newly independent states in Africa and Asia. On January 9, 1950, the Israeli government extended recognition to the People's Republic of China, but diplomatic relations were not established until 1992. 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.

Today, Israel has diplomatic relations with 160 states [1]. Following the Madrid Conference of 1991, and as a direct result of the peace process, Israel established or renewed diplomatic relations with 68 countries.

32 countries do not recognize Israel, mostly majority Muslim nations in the Middle East and Africa.

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Ties with Arab states

Most important are Israel's ties with Arab states. In addition to full diplomatic relations with Egypt, Jordan and Mauritania, Israel now has ties of one kind or another with Morocco, Tunisia, Oman, Qatar, and Bahrain. Those persons who have ever been inside of Israel, other than diplomats, are forbidden entry to the Sultanate of Oman, as of January 20th, 2004.Template:Citationneeded

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.

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.

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International disputes

The West Bank is Israeli-occupied with the current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement. Altrough Israel has unilateraly withdrawn control of the Gaza Strip itself and its land border with Egypt, the airspace and territorial waters are still controlled by Israel. The permanent status of both territories is to be determined through further negotiation. The Golan Heights is Israeli-annexed.

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Illicit drugs

Increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse; drugs arrive in the country from Lebanon and increasingly Jordan.

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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. On May 11, 1949, the State of Israel joined the United Nations. Israel is one of the two middle Eastern countries never to be on the Security Council.

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See also

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Arab-Israeli peace diplomacy and treaties

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