Itamar Rabinovich examines how Israel is facing a new and changing regional order in the Middle East, from the ramifications of the Arab Spring to a receding US role and beyond. The author looks specifically at Israel’s evolving relationships with Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, and the Palestinians.

He asserts that, although some new developments pose threats to Israel’s national security and diplomatic position, Israel could take advantage of some of those changes to become a more active and better integrated player in the region’s politics. For this to happen, he concludes, Israel should take advantage of the massive effort invested by US Secretary of State John Kerry to bring about an Israeli-Palestinian final status agreement.