amallah: A decade has passed since the Euro-Mediterranean partnership was launched in 1995. One of the key objectives behind the partnership was the desire to seek an end to the Palestine-Israel conflict, to promote dialogue, exchange and co-operation in political, social and economic matters, and to provide the two sides with a forum in which to do so.
But as European and (some) Arab leaders meet in Barcelona this weekend to mark the tenth anniversary of the Barcelona process, and as the EU re-affirms resolution of the conflict as one of its key priorities, what real progress has been made over the last ten years?
The answer to this question is well reflected in the submission of a report by Britain’s own diplomatic representative in Jerusalem in the run-up to the summit. The report accuses Israel of violating international law and peace agreements, and jeopardizing the future of any peace process. It specifically addresses Israel’s long-term effort to transform the demographic and geographic realities of East Jerusalem in order to prevent it from becoming the capital of a Palestinian state.
The report made little, if any, impact on the summit’s agenda. And instead of using the opportunity presented at the Euro-Med Summit to directly address these issues with Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister and Mayor of Jerusalem, Ehud Olmert, British Prime Minister and current holder of the EU Presidency, Tony Blair, chose instead to hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, replicating the time-old pattern whereby the onus for change is placed continually on the Palestinians.
In the meantime, the demolition of Palestinian houses in East Jerusalem has accelerated, with the destruction of eight houses since last Thursday, the day when Israel announced plans to expand the largest of its illegal West Bank settlement by building 350 new housing units. Equally, construction of the Apartheid Wall continues apace.
In such a context, Europe’s ability to seek a just and lasting solution to this conflict is questionable. While it continues to give over one billion euros a year in aid, and more in loans, to the region, and while this has done much to cushion the devastating socio-economic impacts Israel’s ongoing occupation is having on Palestine, it has done little towards addressing the strategic factors underpinning the conflict, namely, Israel’s political intransigence and unilateral stance on any “peace process.”
Humanitarian aid is both important and necessary, but it simply acts as a sticking plaster to heal the surface wounds caused by the occupation both in Palestine, and within Israel itself. If aid remains unaccompanied by a dedicated effort to bring about genuine political reform, then this turbid status quo will simply continue.
Europe has significant power to wield over Israel, in the form of the Interim Association Agreement on Trade and Cooperation, signed as part of the Barcelona Process, which sees Israel gain preferential access to European markets. The EU is Israel's major trading partner, and roughly 40 percent of Israeli imports come from the EU, while 30 percent of Israeli exports are directed to the EU.
If the EU is to be truly committed to seeking a just and lasting peace to this conflict, it can tie the renewal of such agreements to Israel’s adherence to, and implementation of international laws and peace agreements. It states that “suspending the Association Agreement […] would not make the Israeli authorities responsive to EU concerns” and that “it is a well-known fact that economic sanctions achieve rather little in this respect.” Yet were it not for the imposition of economic sanctions in the case of South Africa, the Apartheid regime may not have fallen when it did.
Equally, as part of the “Quartet” and one of the signatories of the Road Map, the EU has the responsibility to call for the holding of an international peace conference, as set out in Phase III of the peace deal.
If the means exist, the only thing that remains is for the EU to make a genuine commitment to peace by utilizing them.
Al Mubadara Press Service