As Relations Between Israel and Europe Shift, Consider Germany - by Catherine Cheney

The relationship between Israel and Europe has been in the spotlight in recent weeks, beginning with the Nov. 29 United Nations vote for Palestinian statehood, in which the Czech Republic was the only European country to join Israel and the United States in rejecting the bid.

What followed the next week was the summoning of Israeli ambassadors to several European capitals after the decision by Israel to approve the construction of new settlements.

So when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Berlin, Germany earlier this month to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Israeli anger over the German decision to abstain from the UN vote, and European anger over Israeli settlements, made for a visit marred by tensions.

"Support of Israel remains a critical part of German and European foreign policy toward the Middle East," Joel Peters, an associate professor in the School of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech, explained in an interview.

Discussing the shift in European policy toward Israel, Peters, who was also the founding director of the Ben Gurion University Center for the Study of European Politics and Society, said that while these latest developments will not have an immediate impact on relations, they are an important part of a broader transition in the way that Europe deals with Israel in the future.

Europe has always spoken with a common voice on what the peace process should look like, he said. But as its disappointment over perceived Israeli intransigence deepens, there is a greater sense of urgency in its push for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "There is a need to get back to the negotiation table," he said. "There is a need to move forward because time is slipping by."

Peters said that while Europe will continue to work with Israel in the hope of bringing it back to the negotiating table, it also sees the need to strengthen the Palestinian Authority. The European countries that abstained from the UN vote did so in part because voting no would have further alienated and weakened Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, he explained.

Read more: Catherine Cheney: As Relations Between Israel and Europe Shift, Consider Germany

France, Spain to support Palestinian UN status bid, hesitation from Britain

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Tuesday that France will vote in favor of the Palestinian Authority's bid for Palestine to be granted UN "non-member observer status" at the General Assembly later this week.

France said on Tuesday it would vote in favour of Palestinian "non-member observer" status at the United Nations, boosting Palestinian efforts to secure greater international recognition.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told the country's National Assembly that Paris would vote "yes" in this week’s vote on a call for "non-member observer state status" for the Palestinians. Even with non-member status, however, a Palestinian state would still not be a full member of the UN General Assembly.  Fabius told MPs, "We've known for years France's constant position is to recognise the Palestinian state.”

Spain’s foreign minister says Spain will vote in favor of recognition of a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly this week. Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo told parliament Wednesday that Spain would support the Palestinian bid at the U.N. because it feels it is the best way to advance toward peace.

Hesitation is coming from the United Kingdom ahead of the vote, says FRANCE 24’s US correspondent Nathan King, reporting from the UN Headquarters. “They are saying maybe they would vote but they have some conditions. They’re worried about certain Palestinian positions.”

Read more: France to support Palestinian UN status bid - PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES - FRANCE 24