1、THE STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONSOF ISRAELS TURN TO THE SEAEHUD EIRAN AND AVIAD RUBINSEPTEMBER 18,2019COMMENTARYOn Aug.4,forces from 10 countries joined the Israeli navy in Mighty Waves,a four-day exercise simulating ahumanitarian support operation responding to a major earthquake along the eastern shores
2、of the Mediterranean Sea.The exercise is further indication beyond the expansion of sea-based activities beginning last decade that Israelis in the midst of a“turn to the sea”:a systematic allocation of national,corporate,and civil society resources towardthe nations maritime domain.As many regional
3、 actors,including Egypt,Turkey,and Iran,are naval powers,and asglobal actors such as Russia and the United States have a naval presence in the region,Israels evolution has broaderimplications for regional security.The countrys new maritime focus includes six major elements,some of which are interrelated:the discovery,production,and subsequent dependence on natural gas from the sea;an expansion of the navy;the leveraging of this newly energizednavy as a significant tool in military diplomacy and alliance-building;the development and subsequent dependence on
