local politics is playing with the peace tracks

Henry Kissinger's famous quote 'Israel has no foreign policy, only domestic policy,' is one of those catchy aphorisms repeated so many times over the years it's come to be accepted as the conventional wisdom.

But the underlying thought is so banal it is difficult to accept that this throwaway remark would have ever garnered such attention if said of any other country.

The foreign policies of all nations are deeply influenced by domestic political concerns; if anything, one could make the case that several of Israel's biggest diplomatic decisions - especially such peace moves as the Camp David Agreement and the Oslo Accords - were made despite the fact they carried with them considerable political risks for the Begin and Rabin governments that carried them out.

There are, though, periods when domestic politics have a more direct and immediate impact on foreign policy process and decision-making. It's worth remembering the specific context within which Kissinger made the statement; during the frenzied period of 'shuttle diplomacy' following the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when he was trying to convince Israel to withdraw from territory conquered in its fierce defensive struggle with the Egyptians and Syrians."