Introduction.The question of why Israel finds itself in a state of conflict with nearly all its neighbors is one of the most complex and contentious issues in international relations. Since its establishment in 1948, Israel has fought multiple wars with Arab states and has been in a continuous state of tension with various actors across the Middle East. The reasons for this persistent conflict are deeply rooted in history, ideology, territorial disputes, national identity, and more recent geopolitical shifts. The October 7, 2023, Hamas attack and the subsequent devastating war in Gaza have further inflamed these tensions, straining Israel's relationships even with its peace partners and jeopardizing the normalization processes painstakingly built over previous decades. To understand the current situation, one must examine the foundational causes and their evolution over time. I. Foundational Causes: The 1948 War and the "Nakba".The modern conflict traces its origins to the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the rise of Zionism—a movement advocating for a Jewish homeland in historic Palestine—and the simultaneous emergence of Palestinian Arab nationalism. The Holocaust intensified the urgency for a Jewish safe haven, while the local Arab population viewed increasing Jewish immigration with deep apprehension. The end of the British Mandate in 1947 saw the United Nations propose a partition plan dividing Palestine into separate Arab and Jewish states. This plan was accepted by the Jewish leadership but rejected by Arab leaders, who viewed it as a form of European colonialism. The subsequent 1948 Arab-Israeli War resulted in the establishment of the State of Israel on a larger territory than initially proposed and led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, an event known to Palestinians as the "Nakba" or "catastrophe." For Palestinians, this foundational event represents a deep historical grievance and a loss of their homeland. For Israelis ... Read more