This study is an attempt to understand the Israeli decision-making process, and to bridge the literature gap by relating domestic factors with decision-making and foreign policy. It attempts to explain how elements and forces within the labyrinth of the Israeli society exert influence on the decision-making mechanism and on how foreign policy and national security decisions are made. This study expands on a number of external forces, or forces external to the decision-making process that are powerful enough to influence it. It discusses the influence of five forces; the military, the advisors, two religious groups, the relationship with the United States, and the relationship with the Jewish Diaspora. This study attempts to take holistic approach to the decision-making process and avoid focusing its attention solely on decision-making in crisis situations.