Rory Miller
Making Sure the EU Matters to Middle East Peace
Foreign Affairs, September/
In the middle of a stalled peace process, one of the few things Israeli and Palestinian officials agree on is that U.S. President Barack Obama deserves much of the blame for the impasse. Israeli policymakers are furious with the demand that Obama made early in his term that
In the face of this impasse, a variety of international figures are now asking
The EU's current political and diplomatic leaders need no encouragement. They already seem to feel that they have both a right and a duty to help solve the conflict. Last year, then French Foreign Minister
There is just one problem: neither the EU nor any of its member states are up to the task.
PREOCCUPIED WITH PALESTINE
There is a broad consensus in
Given these views, it is hardly surprising that the European External Action Service, the EU's new de facto foreign ministry, has made finding a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a "strategic priority." Its head,
European involvement in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations is nothing new. Since the
Despite its substantial financial investment in both
But the EU's biggest problem is that it has failed to convince both
It is not lost on Israeli leaders that
THE RIGHT ROLE
What should EU leaders do if they cannot carve out a meaningful political role in the peace process but truly believe that it is, as British Foreign Secretary
To begin with, they should give up their obsession with trying to compete with
The EU should also make room for non-European powers to get involved. European leaders have jealously guarded what little role they have in the peace process. By relentlessly promoting the EU as the only legitimate external party besides
European policymakers must also stop denigrating the EU's role as financier of
Still,
The EU needs to demonstrate greater vision and ambition in its financing efforts, namely, by turning its attention to developing Palestinian science and technology. Projects like these would help the PA become competitive in a vital sector of the global economy. Yet so far, the EU has devoted only a tiny fraction of its aid to the Palestinian high-tech sector. The EU does currently fund the
Similarly, EU officials should invite more Palestinians to participate in the EU's science, research, and technology "frameworks," programs that support researchers from around the world.
A NEW EUROPE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Only by ramping up and making better use of its aid for Palestinian state building can the EU realize its full potential in the
The EU has a chance to play a more productive role in a conflict to which it is bound by geography, history, culture, and trade. By focusing on state building rather than negotiations,
(AUTHOR BIO:
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