JERUSALEM
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has issued a classified document to the country's diplomatic missions abroad, in which it lays out the diplomatic challenges that Israel may face in 2015, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.
The document – which bears the signature of Gilad Cohen, the ministry's deputy director-general for coordination – warns of a "political tsunami" against Israel, in the world in general and in Europe in particular, Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported.
According to the newspaper, the document states that many of the world's parliaments – especially those in Europe – plan to recognize the state of Palestine, which, the document goes on to warn, will weaken Israel's international position.
The document also notes ongoing global boycott campaigns against Israel, especially those involving the European Union – Israel's largest trading partner.
"[Several] European countries have started labeling settlement [-produced] products and imposing sanctions on Israel," the document said.
"The rise of right wing and extreme left [elements] in the forthcoming elections in Europe will put an end to the [EU's] special relationship with Israel," it added.
The document also raised alarm bells regarding Washington's position on the self-proclaimed Jewish state.
"There is no guarantee that the United States of America will continue to use its veto [right] against the Palestinians at the UN Security Council after the coming [Israeli] elections in March," it said.
"We will face a challenge because of the Palestinian issue, which will affect Israeli-U.S. relations," it warned.
On the Iranian nuclear file, meanwhile, the drafters of the report expected that an agreement between Iran and the West would be signed in the first half of 2015.
Such an agreement, the document noted, would represent a negative development for Israel, whose opposition to the deal is likely to further isolate it on the international stage.
The document also highlighted the growing military capabilities of resistance groups Hezbollah and Hamas.
"Hezbollah and Hamas are… developing their power significantly; they have precision weaponry and Israel's defensive capability against these types of threats doesn't exist," the document read.
