AboutPierre-Alexandre De Bavay M.A. Expertise I can answer any question that deals with geopolitics, political stability and the role of big powers in the Middle East. My strongest background deals with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but I have a good knowledge of the region going from the Caucasus to Egypt, the Arabic Peninsula and Central Asia. Even if your question does not directly deal with this, I will try to answer it anyway.
Experience I worked for the Center for American Studies in Brussels and for the European Institute for International Relations as political analyst.
Organizations CAS, EIIR
Education/Credentials BA Political Science
MA International Relations
MA American Studies
Question Can you describe contemporary Israel's relationship with neighboring countries? Which are friends?
Answer Hi Bob,
This question is very broad though interesting. Israel has always had very tense relations with its neighbors because of the conflict with the Palestinians. Israel is mainly Jewish and has a very recent history. At first all the Middle East countries were extremely hostile to the project of a Jewish state by the end of the 1940'. The creation of such a state provoked a very difficult geopolitical context with various wars between Israel and Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Yet the relations with these countries have evolved and the situation is not as tense as it was back in the 1960' and 1970'. Israel is a pretty isolated state in terms of diplomatic friendship with other states in the region. But at the same time, no particular state in the Muslim world considers itself the at war with Israel, except Iran under the influence of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Hope this helps, if not feel free to inquire further.
