Author: Daniela Huber
Affiliation: Istituto Affari Internazionali
Organization/Publisher: Istituto Affari Internazionali
Date/Place: January 2021/Rome, Italy
Type of Literature: Research Paper
Number of Pages: 7
Keywords: Israel, Palestine, Rights, Peace, Europe
Brief:
The European Union has followed a specific pattern in its foreign policies in the Middle East. In the Arab-Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973, the European community formed its foreign policy to set up the Euro-Arab dialogue. However, after the Cold War and during the Trump presidency, the European Union felt paralyzed in its agency on the Israel-Palestine conflict. The EU is now counting on the Biden administration. In his campaign, he stated that he would leave the US embassy in Jerusalem and push for the normalization and peace between Israel and certain Arab states. The EU’s need for a paradigm shift for Israel/Palestine needs to include equal rights as a basis for negotiations. The equal rights for Palestinians neither contradicts the two-state solution nor the one-state formula; it instead prepares the ground for any solution in the future that Israel and Palestine can reach justly. Europeans need to prioritize equality over political gimmicks. The EU, as the most important trade partner of Israeli settlements, also needs to promote the solution of Palestine’s de-occupation in the International Criminal Court of Justice. There is also a need for the EU to stop its business with Israel, as continuing the business gives a clear message to Tel Aviv to continue its settlements. The larger question that the EU needs to ask itself is whether it should continue to be on the side of the people violating international law or stand against injustice.
By: Saima Rashid, CIGA Research Associate
