Alan Dowty, in Global Politics: Essays in Honour of Professor David Vital ed. Abraham Ben-Zvi and Aharon Klieman (London: Frank Cass, 2001, 309-326)

The imprints of interests and ideology on Zionism and Israeli foreign policy have been better delineated than the impact of traditional political culture. But even a convinced “realist” must appreciate how Jewish political culture colors both internal and external relations. Two themes dominate in this discourse: 1) the focus on security, which is rooted in a historically-conditioned sense of foreboding, an emphasis on personal safety, a tendency to defer to strong leadership, and multple interpretations of external hostility; and 2) the sense of separateness, which encompasses distrust of external actors, a tendency to secrecy and backstage diplomacy, a high priority on relations with Jews elsewhere, and a strong tradition of self-reliance.

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