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July 18, 2003/Tamuz 18 5763, Vol. 55, No. 47
Israel-Europe ties thawing
LESLIE SUSSER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
JERUSALEM - After years of mutual distrust and periodic acrimony, there are signs of a thaw in relations between Israel and Europe.
As Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was feted in London this week, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom pressed a new "friendship with Europe" initiative. Also, the European Union recently put out feelers about including Israel in plans for a "wider Europe."
But though the stage for warmer ties was set by the revival of an Israeli-Palestinian peace process, there are still deep differences between Israel and Europe on the Palestinian issue.
And while Israel's relations with European governments may be improving, the same can't be said about public opinion: In much of Europe, Israel is still getting what it considers to be hostile press.
In London early this week, Sharon received expansive red carpet treatment. In a rare gesture of friendship and support, British Prime Minister Tony Blair invited his Israeli counterpart to a private dinner at his home at 10 Downing Street. British officials were at pains to point out that few foreign dignitaries are honored in this way.
"Not even Blair's close friend George Bush was invited to dinner at No. 10," a senior official was quoted as saying.
For several months now, JTA has learned, Britain's Foreign Office has believed that Sharon wants to make peace with the Palestinians, but will find it difficult to make concessions. By exuding warmth and friendship, Blair apparently feels he can encourage Sharon to take the tough decisions.
Sharon, however, maintains that Britain and the rest of Europe first need to change their attitude toward Palestinian Authority Presi-dent Yasser Arafat.
Sharon argues that the power struggle between Arafat and the P.A. prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, really is a struggle over the peace process, which Arafat wants to destroy and Abbas wants to push forward.
To prove his point, Sharon presented Israeli intelligence reports to Blair, and is openly urging British and other European leaders to boycott Arafat.
The Americans back Sharon on this, but the Europeans so far mainly do not. Most recently, a delegation of British legislators and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov visited Arafat at his Ramallah headquarters, knowing that Sharon and Shalom would refuse to see them as a result.
Of the major European players, only Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, pointedly refused to meet with Arafat.
Sharon warns that if the Europeans keep strength-ening Arafat, and if Abbas is forced to step down as a result, Israel will have to reconsider its attitude to the internationally approved "road map" peace plan.
Despite these differences, European attitudes to Israel seem to be changing dramatically. In early July, soon after the road map was set in motion, Israeli and E.U. officials met in Brussels for the annual review of Israel's economic association agree-ment with the European Union.
According to Oded Eran, Israel's ambassador to the European Union, the Europeans were unexpect-edly forthcoming: They declared that E.U. relations with Israel no longer would be contingent on progress in the peace process.
More importantly, the officials indicated that the European Union was in-terested in including Israel in its plans for a "wider Europe." They even suggested up-grading the economic association with Israel and adopting the model of the E.U.'s close ties with Switzerland and Norway.
There was, however, one request of Israel: that it ratify the Kyoto Protocol on environmental protection, which would mean enough countries had signed the treaty to bring it into force, despite American objections.
The new European openness to Israel has struck a receptive chord in the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Arguing that Israel has neglected ties with Europe for too long, Shalom launched what he calls a European "friendship campaign" with a visit to Italy last week, which he intends to follow up at the upcoming session of the Council of European Foreign Ministers in Brussels.
Leslie Susser is the diplomatic correspondent for the Jerusalem Report.
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