[quote=ImportantNobody]
In real life they are the only country with mandatory female service requirements for the military (at least if Wikipedia is to be believed). That's fitting for them in this alternate universe to be more important and powerful then a lot of other countries. They were already one step ahead of the game before it even began. They are still no match for the empire, but they are at least powerful enough to survive while other countries lead by the US are planning an invasion to aid them.
[/quote]

Right. Israel also has quickly advancing technology, so I figured they could be ahead of the game in terms of science, while still able to resist the Arabian empire.