Anmerkungen:
In: Journal of European Studies, Vols. 23 & 24, Nos. 2 & 1, July 2007 & January 2008
Nach Informationen von SSRN wurde die ursprüngliche Fassung des Dokuments September 8, 2009 erstellt
Beschreibung:
West Europe played a crucial role in the creation of Israel in the midst of the Arab world, thus sowing the seeds of a stubborn conflict that has defied resolution even after the passage of six decades. It nurtured and protected Israel throughout its infancy, often at the expense of the dispossessed Palestinians, and it was only in the late sixties that the US took over this role from West Europe. The European Community countries which had been toeing the American line, took some years to develop a common policy on the Arab-Israeli issue as distinct from American policy. Historical realities, such as the unspeakable horrors of the holocaust made the West Europeans too timid to look at the issue in an unbiased manner. Physical nearness to the Middle East and energy dependence were important factors, which forced the Europeans to review their blatantly pro-Israeli stance in the seventies and adopt a semblance of balance in their policy towards the protagonists. With the world community through various UN resolutions having acknowledged the Palestinian issue as a core political and humanitarian problem in the Middle East, that needed to be resolved in a just and equitable manner, the Europeans were had-pressed to see it in a new light, and this was reflected in the various declarations and statements issued by the community, which with time become bolder. Nevertheless, a notable aspect of the European Union’s policy on the Palestinian-Israeli issue is that on several occasions it has been poised to take a serious independent initiative to resolve the issue, but has been held back by Washington, which is determined to retain its predominant role in the region