EU Failures in Economic Relations: The Case of Israel and Palestine

Abstract:

This article discusses why coordinated attempts by European institutions have failed to significantly influence the Israel-Palestine conflict. Having been effectively shutout of other realms of diplomacy, the Europeans were forced to use the economic sphere as a means for promoting peace. In spite of its laudable ambitions, the EU proved ineffective in these efforts. These failures take on one of two characteristics: failures to properly implement policies the EU believes in or the omission entirely of policy in areas where the EU could have made a difference. To reinforce why these mistakes were so severe, a series of plausible, alternative policies that the EU could have pursued will be presented. If different policies had been followed, the EU could have made a far greater contribution to peace in the region. Given the potential that existed to make a difference, the EU policy has to be consigned as a failure.