289. What has been the role of Europe in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict?

Post-war Europe is not the same one that created the European Union. While it was being reconstructed and during the Cold War, the role of Europe was minor. After the Six-Day War (1967), the positioning of Israel before the eyes of the new European left deteriorated up to the point of reaching the current manifestations of anti-Semitism. The action of the Palestinian terrorism in European soil during the 70s decade creates a partial understanding of the Israeli dilemmas. Today Palestinians prefer more participation of Europeans in future peace negotiations while Israelis feel a profound distrust towards the European Union, although bilateral relations, among states, are usually better than with the community representation. Europe is still trapped in the perception that the Arab-Israeli conflict is the key to achieve stability in the Middle East, allowing the return of refugees. They believe that only if the Palestinians are satisfied, the situation will calm down. Therefore, for Europeans, the politics of Israel sabotages their efforts and undermines “protecting Europe”. For decades, Israel exported mainly to Europe, but at present, the Old Continent receives 35% of the Israeli exports. This situation reduced the possibility of Europe pressuring economically. A problem to mediate in the conflict is that Europe is known in Israel as a financer of organizations that foster Israelophobia. A report of the NGO Monitor reveals that between 2012 and 2016, a total of 39 Israeli NGOs received 142.6 million dollars from foreign donors, mainly from Europe. These NGOs are politically active in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and several of them are involved in the BDS campaign (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) against Israel. Some examples of these organizations are the Coalition of Women for Peace and the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center.