A. A. ERMAKOV Candidate of Historical Sciences A. A. KORNILOV Doctor of Historical Sciences I. V. RYZHOV Doctor of Historical Sciences Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod Keywords: State of Israel, Gaza Strip, Hamas, deterrence policy, Al-Quds intifada Today, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is taking on a number of new features. Chief among them is the implementation of the so-called containment policy against the radicals of the Palestinian enclave. This approach is bearing fruit. Suffice it to say that last year, 2015, in terms of the number of rocket attacks on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, was one of the quietest in recent decades. This was largely due to the successful completion of Operation Protective Edge near Israel's southern borders in 2014, which caused significant damage to the Palestinians. Even when planning this operation, the Israelis expected - and these calculations were justified-that the need to compensate for the losses incurred by the radicals would become an important deterrent to the manifestation of combat activity. Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, is also not interested in a new large-scale military conflict. Israel's policy of deterrence is characterized by a limited use of military force. At the same time, the main alternative to deterrence is the re-occupation of the Palestinian enclave. However, for the Israeli leadership, this option is not acceptable. And it's not just about the losses that can be incurred during the operation and the subsequent dismantling of the radical infrastructure. The most important goal of Israel's foreign policy is security (bitachon), which will ensure peace with neighboring states. Since the time of the country's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, ensuring security involves a certain hierarchy of State efforts. In such a hierarchy, strategic alliances with great Powers, advantageous regional alliances with non-Arab regimes, tacit understanding with some Arab countries, assis ... Read more