For most of its history, Israel has been at odds with its Arab neighbors. After the terrorist organization Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, most Arab countries, even those that had dialogue and cooperation with the Israeli government for decades, held Israel responsible for the escalation of violence. But let’s look at the countries separately.

Egypt

On October 15, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Israel had “exceeded the right to self-defense” and his reaction resembled collective punishment.

Egypt has had decades-long relations with Israel since the signing of the Camp David Accords in 1978, followed by the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Agreement in 1979. The Egyptian-Israeli Peace Agreement has withstood several crises, including Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982, as well as the first and second Palestinian Intifadas.

In today’s Hamas-Israel conflict, Egyptian officials have said they would rather facilitate humanitarian aid to Gaza than allow Palestinians to cross into the Sinai Peninsula. This attitude is believed to be due to Cairo’s dire economic situation and the continued influx of refugees fleeing the civil war in Sudan.

Jordan

Jordan and Israel have been at war for decades, but signed a peace treaty in 1994. Jordan has provided aid to Israel on several occasions, such as during the Jerusalem riots in November 2014. In return, Israel cooperates with Jordan in various fields such as trade, agriculture, industry and public health.

However, because of the Palestinian there are often tensions in their relations. Jordan’s King Abdullah in his speech stated that “our region will never be secure and stable without the achievement of a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution.” Jordan is also particularly wary of a new influx of Palestinian refugees, insisting that Palestinians must remain in their homeland if they are to form a state of their own in the future.

Jordan has one of the highest ratios of refugees to the local population in the world.

Lebanon

The Lebanese Shiite political organization Hezbollah poses a significant threat to Israel. The group’s military wing, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the EU, the US and others, maintains a significant arsenal and has great political and economic influence inside the country. Tensions between Lebanon and Israel date back to 1948, when Lebanon, along with other Arab nations, declared war on Israel shortly after the establishment of the Jewish state. In 2000, following a UN-brokered ceasefire, Israel withdrew from the occupied territories of Lebanon. However, the border area between the two countries remains volatile.

Syria

Like Lebanon, Syria considers Israel an adversary and the two countries have been at war since Israel’s founding in 1948. During the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel captured a Syrian border plateau known as and as the “Golan Heights” and has owned the area ever since. Syria also maintains an alliance with Iran, Israel’s main rival in the region. Over the past two weeks, Syria and Israel have exchanged fire. However, Syrian missile attacks against Israel have been recurring for years.