Let me say first, this game is pretty cool.
Putting you in the role of the new Israeli Prime Minister in January 1997, just after the previous one was assassinated, you are thrust into the corrupt and explosive Middle East.
As Prime Minister (PM) you need to make diplomatic relations with Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Libya, Iraq and Iran--either for better or worse, whichever suits you--and make sure you stay on top at all times. Basically, you don't need to worry about Lebanon or Jordan. The countries of Egypt, Syria, and Iraq and Iran should be your top priorities. I'll get into this now.
As for war, you can only go to war with the countries besides Israel. Lebanon is easy, you can usually win a war with them, if you have a lot of tanks and air forces, in just one month. Jordan usually takes about 2 to 3 months to win. Syria is a challenge, but can still be beat, especially if you build up your forces on the border quickly, and invade. Egypt is pretty much a no-go. They have a superior military, air force, and the likes. The only ways I found to beat them are a) an extremely lucky sneak attack; b) attacking them while they are at war with Libya; or c) taking them out by supporting insurgents in their country. 'C' is the easiest. I once won an entire game by using the 'C' tactic. The only way to get rid of countries like Libya, Iraq and Iran is to support insurgents.
Yes, the way to win the game is by being the last stable country in the Middle East. Easier said than done. Ending up at war with either Syria or Egypt when you aren't ready happens quite often, or one of the nations will acquire nuclear technology before you do and nuke you. No one likes Israel.
As well as becoming friends or enemies with your surrounding countries, you have options such as buying weapons and such from France, the US, Britain, or the Black Market. You can take strategic actions against your neighbours, such as deploying troops on their borders, carrying out air strikes into their countries, and invading. You can fund Israel's Nuclear program (which is actually a good idea), and also take care of the Palestinian problem. Usually for me, things are OK, and i never needed to send a brigade, but every once and a while I need my police to go in and quell the riots.
Every once about July each year, a summit is called, and if you go there the U.S. usually wants you to either stop increasing the size of your army for 2 years, or make a homeland for the Palestinians. I usually allow the Palestinian homeland, but ignore their demand to stop my armies' growth.
At the end of the year, you have the option to either increase your defense budget, leave it the same, or decrease it. Increasing it too much can cause problems, so be careful!
All in all, I rate this game a 5. Fun, quick, easy to learn, it's got it all. Have fun :D