The European Union and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Jean-Marc P.

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The European Union and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

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With the recent election of Mahmud Abbas as chairman of the Palestinian Authority and Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw Israeli troops and settlers from the Gaza strip, the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians appears to be at a crossroads, after years of severe strain on the so-called peace process. The two sides declared an end to all hostilities after a summit in February 2005, but the truce looks very fragile. The European Union has recently supported Mahmud Abbas' candidacy and been more active in the region over the past few years. However, European interest for the conflict is not new: under the European Political Cooperation, from 1970 to 1987, around ninety declarations relating to the Mediterranean were adopted, the majority of which on the Arab-Israeli conflict . Since the regime of the European Political Cooperation, European policy towards the conflict has been relatively stable. The 1980 landmark Venice declaration indeed set the tone for future European policies. It stated that the treatment of the Palestinian people was more than a question of dealing with refugees, and pronounced itself in favour of Palestinian self-determination . Member states have also been constant in their defence of a secure Israel accepted by its neighbours.

Sommaire

Introduction.
1. The European Union's support of Mahmud Abbas' candidacy.
2. The EU and the peace process during the CFSP years.
The European Union.
1. Commitment to a two-state solution.
2. The second pillar of the EU commitment.
3. The use of financial aid.
4. The establishment of bilateral relations with Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
5. The appointment of a special envoy to the region in November 1996.
Signs that point at a growing EU involvement and even at an EU contribution towards positive outcomes.
1. Special Envoy Moratinos's helpe in mending fences between Israeli and Palestinians.
2. High Representative Javier Solana.
3. The creation of the Quartet.
Allegation that EU chose to adopt a low profile on the Middle East scene.
1. Limited role at the beginning of the peace process in 1991.
2. EU policy towards the conflict.
3. Allegation that the Quartet has served to coordinate European positions.
4. Highlights from the possible divergence of views.
Explanations of the EU feebleness in the negotiations.
Conclusion.
Bibliography.

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Extraits

[...] Whether there is a political will for continued US involvement in the conflict is another matter. Since the EC being granted only a very limited role in the Middle East peace process at the 1991 Madrid conference, what was to become the EU has certainly made great progress towards greater visibility and greater involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The EU has become the largest aid donor to the Palestinians, which has enabled it to push for reforms and at times to exert pressure on the Palestinian Authority. [...]

[...] This commitment has evolved from calls for a Palestinian right to self-determination to the 1999 Berlin European Council stating that the creation of a democratic, viable and peaceful Palestinian state would be the best guarantee of Israel's security. Moreover, in 2003, the Council of the European Union voiced its support for the establishment of such a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders[7]. The second pillar of the EU commitment has been a continuous insistence that both parties should respect international law and human rights. After a relative silence during the Oslo years, condemnations against suicide bombings, Israeli incursion in the occupied territories, extra judicial killings resurfaced when the process collapsed[8]. [...]

[...] Another EU tool has consisted of the establishment of bilateral relations with Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The first EC trade agreement with Israel dates back to 1964, and in 2000, an association agreement came into force, providing inter alia for political dialogue, free trade in industrial products[14]. Israel has also been included recently in the European Neighbourhood Policy. Trade agreements with the Palestinian side came later, with a preferential trade access given to specific Palestinian products in 1986, and co-operation includes assistance to civil society and actions such as the monitoring of Palestinian elections starting in 1994[15]. [...]

[...] However, European interest for the conflict is not new: under the European Political Cooperation, from 1970 to 1987, around ninety declarations relating to the Mediterranean were adopted, the majority of which on the Arab-Israeli conflict[1]. Since the regime of the European Political Cooperation, European policy towards the conflict has been relatively stable. The 1980 landmark Venice declaration indeed set the tone for future European policies. It stated that the treatment of the Palestinian people was more than a question of dealing with refugees, and pronounced itself in favour of Palestinian self-determination[2]. [...]

[...] This triggers an interrogation on the way in which the EU has tried to gain a voice in the process, and brings questions about the reasons for the EU only achieving limited effectiveness and presence when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. When trying to assess the EU's presence and influence in the conflict, we should bear in mind that the EU has had on the whole a positive influence on the conflict, for instance by preserving the Palestinian Authority from bankruptcy, and that matters would certainly be worse without EU involvement. [...]

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