Europe is expanding and approaching. Neighboring Cyprus, a half-hour flight away, is about to join the EU club. For most Israelis, Europe these days is a hostile and alien place. This attitude had been burned into our consciousness, possibly through political or PR manipulation. Anti-Semitism is on the rise, and every pronouncement from Brussels, not to mention The Hague, bodes ill for us. But there are also some facts of life that we tend to forget in heat of political argument.
It is not the distant US, but nearby Europe that is Israel's natural hinterland. This united Europe is already the world's largest economic bloc, with a GDP of $10.4 trillion in 2003. After the ten new nations join the EU, its GDP will be greater than that of the US. The EU is Israel's most important economic partner. 34% of Israeli exports go to the EU, and 41% of its imports come from there. We have a huge interest in Europe, but it is not translated into a consistent policy. Israel is unenthusiastic about European involvement in the Middle East, but there is nothing to be done about the fact that the Mediterranean basin is mainly a European story and the source of stability or instability on the continent.
Israel's attitude has begun to change. The change is seen in the list of participants at last week's conference on "Israel and the Expanded Europe: Challenges for Israeli Society" at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya. This conference was rare for its depth of discussion by three former prime ministers, three current foreign ministers, four current ministers, former ministers, and a slew of experts, over a day and a half. The participants made an immense effort to clear the air, understand each other, and clarify future intentions.
Former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard, a leftist and one of the most brilliant French politicians, is disturbed by the misunderstandings between Israel and Europe. "How can you claim that we're the source of anti-Semitism?" he thunders. He relates that his father was one of the Frenchmen who made a huge contribution to the development of Israel's nuclear independence. The US played no part in that. "It could be," he adds, "that the misunderstanding is because Europeans realized the importance of the Palestinian problem many years before Israel's political establishment. Of course there's anti-Semitism in France, but France is not anti-Semitic."
Incidentally, 10% of respondents in a recent survey in France expressed prejudices against Jews, but more than twice as many - 23% - expressed prejudices against North Africans. Italian Minister of European Union Policy Rocco Buttiglione believes that anti-Semitic outbursts in Europe are an echo of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The conflict disturbs the Europeans' rest, but they have no power to impose a solution, so they try to influence the issue through incentives offered to both sides.
German Federal Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, a dominant figure in EU expansion, is seeking incentives to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. One is a free trade zone between the expanded EU, Israel, its neighbors, and North Africa.
Prof. Rafi Melnick suggests another economic incentive: allow Israel and the Palestinian state, once it is established, to join the euro zone.
Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Louis Michel believes that the Middle East is Europe's next challenge. In view of US reservations, some Europeans are considering their involvement in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan. Maybe they'll buy vacated settlers' homes in the Gaza Strip, as part of a plan to resettle Palestinian refugees. There are also thoughts of sending a military force to keep the peace in Gaza after the IDF withdraws.
MK Shimon Peres, who summed up the conference, made a number of creative proposals. These included making Israel, Jordan, and Palestine virtually full members of the EU ("a Middle East Benelux"), for Israel to join NATO, having NATO join in the war against terrorism in the region, and European guarantees for Middle Eastern borders.
Although Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom, who opened the conference, has reservations about European involvement, he also rejects the idea that "Israel can manage without Europe". Everyone at the conference concurred.
But it must be admitted: Israel has no European experts. At the opening session, former Israel Ambassador to Germany Avi Primor, the initiator and moving spirit behind the conference, announced the establishment of the Center for European Studies at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya. The new course will include studies in European law, administration, economics, and policy. "The aim," he said, "is to overcome ignorance and prejudice."
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on March 1, 2004