Mutual institutional and diplomatic relations between Europe and Israel

Based on the belief that strong mutual institutional and diplomatic relations between Europe and Israel are vital, the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs has launched a project to create a renewed paradigm for relations between Israel and the Old Continent. In this framework, on Monday March 19, 2018, a special Strategic Consultation took place at the Jerusalem Center with several senior officials from various European countries, focusing on how to tackle the major challenges (approach toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, financing terror, nuclear deal with Iran, BDS) and on highlighting new potential channels of cooperation.

 

Fiamma Nirenstein, a fellow researcher at the Jerusalem Center and former member of the Italian parliament, promoter of the conference, explained the reason why it was held:

 

“We invited several senior European opinion makers to the Center in order to try to devise a shared strategy for Israel and EU countries. We are aware that criticism still dominates European public discourse and its institutional approach towards Israel is usually biased, but Israel and the European countries have a lot in common, and it’s necessary to work together against the dangers of extremism, terror, economic problems, and the lack of democracy in the Middle East. We gathered today to identify the main challenges in today's relations and new ways to strengthen them".

 

The European guests were Saad Amrani, Chief Commissioner of the Belgian Federal Police; Volker Beck, Human right activist, Former German MP (Green Party); Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata, Former Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs; Francois Heisbourg, Chair of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Council (France); Ignacio Cosidó, Spanish Senator, former Director of the Spanish Police; Tomas Sandell, European Coalition for Israel (Finland); William Shawcross, former Chairman of the Charity Commission for England and Wales; Daniel Schwammenthal, Director, AJC Transatlantic Institute, Brussels; Benjamin Weinthal, Foundation for Defense of Democracies; Gideon Falter, Campaign Against Antisemitism (UK); Dr Tommaso Virgili, European Foundation for Democracy. Various researchers from the Jerusalem Center attended the event and also participated in the panel. These included the Center’s president Dr. Dore Gold, former ambassador Freddy Eytan, Dan Diker, Brig. Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, former ambassador Alan Baker, former ambassador Zvi Mazel, Dr. Jacques Neriah, Dr. Shimon Shapira and Pinhas Inbari.

 

The sessions, which were closed to media coverage, aroused much interest and a vivid share of views.
 

Special guests of the panels were the EU Ambassador to Israel, Emanuele Giaufret, and Yuval Steinitz, Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources.