In a break with tradition, the new head (Chief of Staff) of the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) is an air force guy (former Air Force Commander general Dan Halutz). All previous Chiefs of Staff have been army men. This change could mean that the Israeli's have decided the threat from the Palestinians, or of conventional attack, is passing, and that in the future they will mostly need to deal with more dangerous long-range airborne threats. And then there's Iran's nuclear program, which is vulnerable only to the Israeli air force. The Israeli air force also controls the delivery of Israels nuclear weapons, either by ballistic missile or aircraft. If Arab nations get nuclear weapons, then the convincing threat of nuclear retaliation from Israel will be the primary method of preventing Israel from getting nuked.