Magazine / History / Israel and Europe / Background | 14/05/2008

On the road for sixty years

Hardly any other small country attracts more attention in Europe than Israel. Israel, too, is fascinated by Europe. A short account of sixty years of common history.

Today, Israel is often perceived as the 51st state of the USA. True, in May 1948 the newly declared Jewish state was first acknowledged by Washington (and shortly afterwards by Moscow), and only then by the Europeans. It was France, not the USA, that was Israel's primary ally during the crucial first fifteen years of its existence. France supplied the Jewish state with arms and probably also with its nuclear know-how.

Photo: Hanna Huhtasaari

And again, it was France – together with the UK – that joined Israel in the 1956 campaign against Egypt without the consent of the USA. The "special relationship" was broken only in the late 1960s by Charles de Gaulle.

A socialist project

As a "socialist" project Israel attracted much sympathy in Western Europe (rather than in the USA). Much of this changed in 1967 after the Six Day War and the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. In the eyes of Europeans, Israel acted more like an oppressive Goliath than an endangered David. Europeans became quite critical of Israel, while Israel spoke of the new anti-Semitism and betrayal of the oil thirsty, fickle Europe. Those countries, such as Holland, that were seen by the Arabs as pro-Israeli, were cut off from the supplies during the 1970's Oil crisis.

Meanwhile in the East...

It is important to realize that a very large proportion of Israelis have Eastern European roots (mainly in Poland and Romania, later the USSR). There is a strong psychological bond between the two regions, as well as a traumatic past related to the Holocaust. It is worth stressing that until late 1940's Stalin hoped that Israel – not the Arab countries – would become the main Soviet ally in the Middle East. Israel did not become a Communist country, however, but the only democracy with a strong connection with the West. In response, the Stalinist regimes joined the Arabs and from the 1950s on supplied them with arms. The anti-Jewish political "show trials" of "Zionists" in the early 1950s were also part of the response.

After the Six Day War

In 1967, after the Six Day War, most East European states broke their already weak contacts with Israel – no trade, no tourism, no exchange of information. At the same time, although in many of the Eastern states the old style anti-Semitism endured, many ordinary people had much sympathy for Israel due to their own hatred of the Communist system.

After the Fall of the Wall

After 1989, all of the newly liberated countries re-established ties with Israel. Their attitude has been generally more friendly than that of the West. Partly because of true sympathy, partly because of the belief that friendship with Israel is an inalienable part of good relations with Washington. No matter what the reason, the rise of the Eastern European influence within European structures brought about a shift in the EU's attitude toward Israel.
In Israel, Western Europe is still seen as a cultural and political model, but at the same time regarded with some suspicion. 75 percent of Israelis believe that the EU is pro-Palestinian reports the Dahaf Institute. The occasional call for economic sanctions against Israel or imbalanced criticism strengthens these feelings. It is striking how both parties still see each other mainly through the prism of the Israeli-Arab conflict.

Diversity of opinion

The situation is far more complex, however. While some countries are very critical of Israel (Sweden, Greece), there are also friendly states such as Holland, Denmark, and Germany. In fact, (West-)European-Israeli relations are better than is usually believed. There is the EU-Israel Association Agreement (signed in 1995), not merely a free trade agreement but also stipulating bilateral political, economic and scientificdialogue, while the so-called Essen declaration (1994) gives Israel a special, relatively independent, status on the pace of the peace process. These and other agreements gave Israel the perspective of being included into the single market. It is worth stressing that it is the EU, not the USA, that is Israel's main trade partner.

A critical eye

However, the EU also keeps a critical eye on the region. The "Separation Barrier" that Israel has been building since 2001 for security purposes has been frequently criticized by EU representatives. The EU has signed the UN Resolution of 2003 demanding the destruction of the Separation Barrier. The 2006 Lebanon War was another contentious point, when the EU condemned Israel's action as "disproportionate use of force". Israel's policies concerning Gaza have equally been dismissed throughout the years by the EU.
Ironically, relations have improved since the setting of Palestinian domestic politics has changed: the victory of (the radical political group) Hamas in the 2006 parliamentary elections led the EU to stop financial aid transfers to the Palestinian Authority.

Coming closer

In light of the accession of Cyprus and the candidacy of Turkey, it is as if Israel were coming closer to the Old continent geopolitically. The EU, through the Barcelona process and the European Neighborhood Policy, is slowly becoming an even more important player in the Mediterranean. The EU is also a member of the so-called Middle Eastern Quartet. Up until now, due to a lack of trust, Jerusalem has refused to assign the EU a bigger role in the peace process. However, it is especially in the interests of Europe to build up trust – and an inevitable condition for the EU to accomplish its goal of becoming a real player in the region.

Jan Fingerland

Jan Fingerland, born 1972 in Carlsbad, Czech Republic. He studied politics, philosophy and Jewish studies in Prague, York, Stockholm and Jerusalem. He is currently working ...
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