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External Politics : Disagreements Abroad

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External Politics: Disagreements Abroad Undoubtedly, the largest bugbear in Israel’s foreign policy is Palestine. When the West Bank was captured during the Six Day War, Israel began large-scale settlement programs that were largely condemned by the international community. Despite promises made at Camp David, they continued operating their settlements within the West Bank, later annexing the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem. The United Nations harshly criticized Israel for its actions, condemning them as “null and void,” and classifying the captured territories as “occupied.” Furthermore, the bloody 2008-2009 Gaza War had far-reaching implications for the Israeli reputation abroad. Often cited as a major factor in the breakdown of Israeli-Turkish relations, their raid of the Gaza flotilla brought them under heavy fire from the global community, including an official United Nations condemnation. International troubles go beyond the West Bank and Gaza Strip, however. Of the twenty-two states in the Arab League, only three have normalized relations with Israel: Egypt, Jordan, and Mauritania. The remainder view Israel as—and are in turn classified as—enemy countries. European nations have adopted increasingly disapproving views on Israel as well, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticizing the nation for its involvement in West Bank settlements, and questioning the future of diplomatic relations based thereon. Even Britain, one of Israel’s strongest allies outside of

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