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Europe has showed greater willingness in recent months
to play a larger part in the Middle East's most protracted conflict,
that of Israel and Palestine. But willingness doesn't necessarily
indicate readiness.
For the European Union (EU) to be truly ready to take
on a conflict of such magnitude, it must fully and clearly abandon its
old ways of almost complete subservience to US-tilted and pro-Israel
stances, and of refusing to treat Palestinians as equally deserving of
the same rights and security gladly assigned to Israel.
In other words, Europe would have to function as a
truly independent political body, and renounce the damaging policy of
treating Israel with utter sensitivity, and perceiving Palestinians, at
best, as a people undergoing economic hardship.
True, Palestinian projects funded by the EU are many
and far reaching, but while Europe has demonstrated a degree of
generosity towards Palestine, it has never had a fraction of the leading
role that the US gives itself in the region. This is partly because
while Israel mostly welcomes American involvement, it has long shunned a
significant European role under various guises and logic, claiming
Europe is soft on terror and that the continent is rampant with
anti-Semitism.
Israel is, of course, referring to the fact that Europe has been much
more receptive to the idea of dialogue with Palestinians, even with
groups which are dubbed "terrorist". Public opinion polls in much of
Europe have long reflected much greater sympathy for Palestinians, and
regarded Israel as a danger to world peace. From Israel's point of view,
that qualifies as anti-Semitism.
Thus, the nature and extent of any European role has
always been delineated by the US and Israel. If the EU, or one of its
countries dared to defy its appointed role, Israel would immediately cry
foul and the organization would simply back off. Even when Israel bombed
several projects that were fully or largely funded by the EU in Gaza and
the West Bank, including Gaza's electric generator, the EU failed to act
in any consequential fashion, aside from a measly and ineffective
statement.
While Gaza is punished by Israel and others for
electing Hamas, and as the EU watches the unfolding human drama, it
continues to be Israel's largest trading partner.
But is Europe ready to step up to the challenge of
taking over as America's influence is likely to wane in the coming
months and years? And why is there growing media focus - especially in
Israel - on the rising EU role and involvement in the Middle East?
There are many signs that reflect a clear shift in the
EU's level of involvement in the Middle East. Starting in March, several
European heads of state traveled to Israel in highly touted and
"historic" trips, including a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel,
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon
Brown.
These appearances were followed up by equally
important visits by European dignitaries, last of whom was French
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner in early-October. The number of
official statements made by the EU, and the nature of these statements
are all promising a different kind of European involvement. Yet again,
so what?
Some of the officials used their visits as an
opportunity to chide Palestine on violence, terrorism and so forth. Some
failed to utter a word of disapproval over Israel, as if a country that
maintains a decades-long, and oppressive occupation, as well as a long
record of violating international law, can do nothing wrong.
That said, there is no denying that Europe has been
more, if not much more sensible in its treatment of Palestine, and not
just because of its many vital development projects in the occupied
territories. Europe unlike the US, doesn't always view its relationship
to Palestine as an arrogant power with a list of uncompromising demands
which have to be fulfilled or else.
The US's fundamentally erroneous approach to the
Middle East in general, and Palestine in particular, has created untold
animosity towards Washington, and generated a lack of trust that will
eventually undermine its position in the entire region - a process
currently underway.
Europe
on the other hand, still has a chance, and a good one. True, Sarkozy
sang the Israeli tune like the "true friend of Israel" that he is during
his visit, but he also dared to criticize Israel's settlement policies,
even before the Knesset. The EU has followed the US-Israel lead of
isolating, and eventually destroying the fresh Palestinian democratic
experience, but some European countries seemed willing to engage Hamas,
and invite some of their top officials for "unofficial" dialogue.
Various news outlets reported in April that
Switzerland had invited then prime minister of the newly formed unity
government, Ismail Haniyeh, for his first official European state visit.
Norway and other European countries seemed willing to explore various
channels of dialogue with Palestine.
Although very careful with his wording, French
Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, said in a Jerusalem news conference
on October 5, 2008: "Officially, we have no contact with Hamas, but
unofficially, international organizations working in the Gaza Strip - in
particular, French NGOs [non-governmental organizations] - provide us
information." His statement was understood as an indication of French
willingness to indirectly talk to Hamas, the isolation of which has
spelled disaster for the Palestinian communities of Gaza.
It's no secret that the EU is positioning itself to
play a greater role, but little is known of what that means. Is that new
role orchestrated jointly with the US and Israel, or is it taking place
in spite of both governments? The answer would certainly help determine
the future direction and degree of the EU's involvement.
If the EU is there to supplement the US's expected
absence due to economic crisis at home and endless wars abroad, then
little change is expected. If, however, Europe has decided to tackle the
conflict as an independent power, separate from the discredited US, then
it's an entirely different story.
* Ramzy Baroud (www.ramzybaroud.net) is an author
and editor of PalestineChronicle. His latest book is The Second
Palestinian Intifada: A Chronicle of a People's Struggle (Pluto Press,
London).
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