Despite Split on Cease-Fire, E.U.-Israeli Ties Stronger Than Ever

Prague
Despite public disagreements over the need for an immediate cease-fire, Israeli and European officials appear to be forging improved relations on several fronts.

European envoys have been rapidly shuttling through Middle Eastern capitals this week, fulfilling their traditional role as the humanitarian caretaker of the Palestinians by pledging $4.6 million in emergency aid. Also, in stark contrast to the U.S. view that a cease-fire should only be implemented if it meets Israeli security needs, European officials have been pleading for an immediate halt to Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.

Europe "wants a cease-fire as quickly as possible," French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared Jan. 5 in the West Bank city of Ramallah after meeting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

On the same day, however, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni made clear to Sarkozy and other visiting European diplomats that her country's military operation will end only when Israel has disabled Hamas' rocket-launching capabilities.

Despite the gap between Israel's actions and Europe's pleas, an increasingly close political understanding is emerging between the two sides, even as massive pro-Palestinian demonstrations, sometimes tinged with anti-Semitism, sweep Europe.

Israel received a much-desired upgrade last month to its official relationship with the European Union, providing the Jewish state with additional political and economic benefits thanks in part to a charm offensive by Livni, said European diplomats. The new relationship may have softened Europe's official rhetoric toward Israel when it began bombing Gaza on Dec. 27.

"During meetings in Jerusalem, it was mentioned many times that the message from the E.U. is now coming from a good friend, and it is being taken that way," said Zvi Tal, deputy Israeli ambassador to the European Union in Brussels.

Branded a Terrorist Group

The initial E.U. rhetoric at the start of the Gaza conflict put the blame squarely on Hamas, which it has officially branded a terrorist group, for breaking a cease-fire with rocket attacks into Israel.

European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, told Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert by phone that the responsibility for the conflict lies "clearly and exclusively" with Hamas.

Merkel demanded that Hamas "immediately and permanently" stop its rocket attacks on Israel.

Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, representing the European Union, emphasized that Israel had a right to defend itself, whereas "Hamas has excluded itself from serious political dialogue."

Robin Shepherd, a senior research fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank, said that he sensed a softer approach by European leaders to Israel.

"Israeli public diplomacy in advance of the assault was well-prepared," stated Shepherd. "Israel made sure European leaders knew way in advance that any country would have the need to stop rocket attacks.''

Livni, in particular, has spent more time engaging European leaders than her predecessors, observed Tal.

Her rapport with Sarkozy and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on a Dec. 31 trip to Paris was unusually warm, with smiles and kisses, even as she said there would be no cessation of bombing.

An Upgrade in Relations

She has much to smile about regarding the upgrade in relations with the European Union. For this means that Israel will be at the table as an observer during E.U. political deliberations.

"Especially in the area of security and defense, Israel and the E.U. will become close partners, which will be profitable for both sides," said Adam Mouchtar, director of the European Union Affairs Office for B'nai B'rith International in Brussels.

At the inaugural European Union Summit with Israel in June, top European and Israeli leaders will address areas of mutual political and economic interest.

Jana Hybaskova, head of the European Parliament's Israel committee, believes that the longstanding cliché of a frustrated European-Israeli diplomatic battle has come to an end.

"The upgrade is a green light for rapprochement," she said. "So, of course, when the bombing started, there was an understanding that Israel has certain recognizable rights for security."

The European Union's more empathetic expressions of support for Israel have been undermined to some degree by the inability of the 27-country bloc to speak with one voice, a longstanding obstacle in its efforts to mediate conflicts in various parts of the globe.

The Czechs, perceived as staunchly pro-Israel, took over the rotating six-month presidency of the European Union Jan. 1 from France, but Sarkozy is still dominating the E.U.'s Middle East peace efforts.