I’d guess it’s due to the nature of the unrelenting violent opposition they face. Necessity is the mother of invention.

And to be fair (making both sides equally pissed off here), from the Palestinian perspective, the violent opposition is seen to be necessitated by the violent oppression and other injustices.

But for Israel it’s not just about their internal opposition. They are surrounded by enemies near and far interested in their violent demise. So of course they are highly motivated to develop effective weapons.