NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Israel and the European Union

The accession of Israel to the European Union refers to a possible future development in the EU-Israel relations. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... This Manual of Style has the simple purpose of making things easy to read by following a consistent format — it is a style guide. ...

The Basic Laws of Israel are a key component of Israels uncodified constitution. The State of Israel has no formal constitution. ... The Jerusalem Law is a common name of Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel passed by the Israeli Knesset on July 30, 1980 (17th Av, 5740). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... President of the State of Israel (Hebrew: â€Ž, NesÃ HamdinÃ¡, literally: The President of the State) is the Head of State of Israel, but has a largely ceremonial, figurehead role with real power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister of Israel. ... Dalia Itzik (Hebrew: â€Ž; born October 20, 1952) is the current speaker of the Israeli Knesset and Acting President of Israel. ... The Prime Minister of Israel (Hebrew: ×¨××© ×”×ž×ž×©×œ×”, Rosh HaMemshala, lit. ... Ehud Olmert (IPA ; Hebrew: ××”×•×“ ××•×œ×ž×¨×˜; born September 30, 1945) is the 12th and current Prime Minister of Israel. ... The Cabinet of Israel is a formal body comprised of government officials chosen and led by a Prime Minister. ... Israel The power of the Knesset to supervise and review government policies and operations is exercised mainly through the state controller, also known as the ombudsman or ombudswoman (Hebrew: ×ž×‘×§×¨ ×”×ž×“×™× ×” Mevaker HaMedina. ... The modern Knesset building, Israels parliament, in Jerusalem Though similar-sounding, Beit Knesset (×‘×™×ª ×›× ×¡×ª) literally means House of Assembly, and refers to a synagogue. ... List of Speakers of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament: Joseph Shprinzak (Mapai) 1949-59 Nahum Nir (Ahdut Haavodah) 1959 Kadish Luz (Mapai, Alignment)1959-69 Reuven Barkat (Alignment) 1969-72 Yisrael Yeshayahu-Sharabi (Alignment) 1972-77 Yitzhak Shamir (Likud) 1977-80 Yitzhak Berman (Likud) 1980-81 Menachem... Dalia Itzik (Hebrew: â€Ž; born October 20, 1952) is the current speaker of the Israeli Knesset and Acting President of Israel. ... // (Blue = coalition parties, red = opposition parties) 1This title, called in Hebrew ×ž×ž×œ× ×ž×§×•× ×¨××© ×”×ž×ž×©×œ×” (Memale Mekom Rosh HaMemshala, lit. ... Elections in Israel gives information on election and election results in Israel. ... Elections for the 16th Knesset were held in Israel on 28 January 2003. ... The Elections for the 17th Knesset were held in Israel on 28 March 2006. ... Political parties in Israel: Israels political system is based on proportional representation which allows for a multi-party system with numerous parties, in which a single party usually has no chance of gaining power by itself, forcing the parties to cooperate and form coalition governments. ... Knesset Elections Law is crucial legal document governing the process of elections in the Israeli federal parliament or the Knesset. ... Judicial branch is an independent branch of the government which includes secular and religious courts. ... The Supreme Court (Hebrew: ×‘×™×ª ×”×ž×©×¤×˜ ×”×¢×œ×™×•×Ÿ, Beit Hamishpat Haelyon ) is at the head of the court system in the State of Israel. ... Map of the districts of Israel There are six main administrative districts of Israel, known in Hebrew as mehozot (×ž×—×•×–×•×ª; singular: mahoz) and fifteen sub-districts known as nafot (× ×¤×•×ª; singular: nafa). ... The Israeli Ministry of Interior recognizes three types of local government in Israel: cities, regional councils, and local councils. ... In Israel, a local council is a locality similar to a city in structure and way of life, that has not yet achieved a status of a city, which requires a minimum number of residents, among other things. ... High priorities in the foreign policy of Israel include seeking an end to hostilities with Arab forces, against which it has fought six wars since 1948 and gaining wide acceptance as a sovereign state with an important international role. ... Israel and the United Nations have had mixed relations since Israels founding on May 14, 1948. ... List of well-known ambassadors from the State of Israel, other country or body in parentheses: Daniel Ayalon (United States) Abba Eban (UN/United States) Dan Gillerman (UN) Dore Gold (UN) Chaim Herzog (UN) Golda Meir (USSR) Benjamin Netanyahu (UN) Yitzhak Rabin (United States) Categories: Lists of ambassadors ... Israel, with the West Bank and Gaza Strip in diagonal stripes The Israeli-Palestinian conflict which is at the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict, is an ongoing dispute between two peoples, Jewish Israelis and Arab Palestinians, that both claim the right to sovereignty over the land of Israel/Palestine. ... Combatants Arab nations Israel Arab-Israeli conflict series History of the Arab-Israeli conflict Views of the Arab-Israeli conflict International law and the Arab-Israeli conflict Arab-Israeli conflict facts, figures, and statistics Participants Israeli-Palestinian conflict Â· Israel-Lebanon conflict Â· Arab League Â· Soviet Union / Russia Â· Israel and the United... Arguments about the applicability of various elements of international law underlie the debate around the Arab-Israeli conflict. ... From the time it was established in March 1945, the Arab League took an active role in the Arab-Israeli conflict. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ...

The EU's relations with Israel

Currently, the EU-Israel Association Agreement forms the legal basis governing relations between Israel and the EU, modelled on the network of Euro-Mediterranean Partnership Agreements between the Union and its partners in the southern flank of the Mediterranean Sea.

The agreement with Israel incorporates free trade arrangements for industrial goods, concessionary arrangements for trade in agricultural products (a new agreement here entered into force in 2004), and opens up the prospect for greater liberalisation of trade in services, and farm goods, from 2005. The Association Agreement was signed in Brussels on 20 November 1995, and entered into force on 1 June 2000, following ratification by the 15 Member States parliaments, the European Parliament and the Knesset. It replaces the earlier Co-operation Agreement of 1975.

The Association Agreement established two main bodies for the EU-Israel dialogue. The EU-Israel Association Council (held at ministerial level) and the EU-Israel Association Committee (held at the level of senior officials) meet at regular intervals, to discuss political and economic issues as well as bilateral or regional co-operation.

Support to Israel from the Euro-Med Partnership

Israel because of its high national income is not eligible for bilateral funding under MEDA. It has however been involved in a wide variety of Euro-Med regional programmes funded under MEDA:

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) (before 1990, the Israel Department of Antiquities) is an independent Israeli governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of Antiquities by regulating excavation and conservation, and by promoting research. ...

Co-operation

Agreements on Scientific and Technical Co-operation between the European Community and the State of Israel.

Israel was the first non-European country to be associated to the European Community’s Framework Programme for Research and Technical Development (RTD). Israel's special status is the result of its high level of scientific and research capability and the dense network of longstanding relations in scientific and technical co-operation between Israel and the EU.

The European Commission signed an agreement with Israel in July 2004 allowing for its participation in the EU’s Galileo project for a Global Navigation Satellite System. This article is being considered for deletion for the 2nd time in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) systems. ...

Trade Relations

Trade between the EU and Israel is conducted on the basis of the Association Agreement. The European Union is Israel’s major trading partner. In 2004 the total volume of bilateral trade (excluding diamonds) came to over €15 billion. 33% of Israel’s exports went to the EU and almost 40% of its imports came from the EU.

Total EU (27 Member States) trade with Israel rose from €19.4 billion in 2003 to 21.36 in 2004. EU exports to Israel reached €12.75 billion in 2004, while imports from Israel were €8.6 billion. The trade deficit with Israel was €4.15 billion in the EU’s favour in 2004.

Under the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement, the EU of 25 Member States and Israel have free trade in industrial products. The two sides have granted each other significant trade concessions for certain agricultural products, in the form of tariff reduction or elimination, either within quotas or for unlimited quantities. The Euro-Mediterranean free trade area (EU-MEFTA) is based on the Barcelona Process and European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). ...

Support to the Middle East Peace Process

The European Union attaches great importance to the finding of a just and final settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict and supports initiatives to further the peace process, through the role of the Special Envoy for the Middle East Peace Process (Marc Otte), through its involvement in support of the Quartet (EU, US, Russia, UN), its programmes of humanitarian and other assistance for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, by virtue of the commitments entered into by Israel, the PA and the EU in the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plans, as well as through programmes for civil society and people to people contacts.^[1] Combatants Arab nations Israel Arab-Israeli conflict series History of the Arab-Israeli conflict Views of the Arab-Israeli conflict International law and the Arab-Israeli conflict Arab-Israeli conflict facts, figures, and statistics Participants Israeli-Palestinian conflict Â· Israel-Lebanon conflict Â· Arab League Â· Soviet Union / Russia Â· Israel and the United... The peace process describes efforts by interested parties to effect a lasting solution to long-running conflicts, such as in Northern Ireland (see Belfast Agreement) or the Arab-Israeli conflict. ... The European Union Special Representatives are emissaries of the European Union with specific tasks abroad. ... Marc Otte (b. ... The Quartet on the Middle East, sometimes called the Diplomatic Quartet or simply the Quartet, is a foursome of nations and international entities involved in mediating the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian People. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic - President George Walker Bush (R) - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... Map of the Gaza Strip from The World Factbook. ... It has been suggested that Palestinian government of March 2006 be merged into this article or section. ... The European Neighbourhood is the region beyond the frontier of the European Union. ...

Possible future developments in the EU-Israel relations

The EU and Israel already have very strong ties. In the future, these ties may remain in the same framework or made much stronger. Due to political, historical and cultural reasons, it has been suggested that in the future Israel could either gain an European Union Member State position or a special status that would allow it to be a part of the European Economic Area, thus enjoying the free movement of goods, persons, services and capital between it and the rest of the EEA members. EFTA countries (except Switzerland) EU countries Acceding EU countries (in EAA entry talks) Together these form the EEA. The European Economic Area (EEA) came into being on January 1, 1994 following an agreement between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the European Union (EU). ...

Terms of accession to the European Union

The Copenhagen criteria are the rules that define whether a nation is eligible to join the European Union. These rules are divided to a geographic criteria, a political criteria (which includes Democracy, Rule of Law, Human Rights and Respect for and protection of minorities) and an economic criteria. The Copenhagen criteria are the rules that define whether a nation is eligible to join the European Union. ...

Israel's position regarding the Copenhagen criteria

Furthermore, the EU sees Israel as an occupying force in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem. The ongoing occupation of the Palestinians since 1967 has resulted in political human rights violations, and although these were made in territories in which Israel has not extended its law and whose inhabitants are not the citizens of Israel, it does contradict the Copenhagen criteria since the EU (as the UN) holds Israel responsible for these territories.^[2] Sites on the Golan in blue are Israeli settlement communities. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ...

This situation, however, can possibly be solved in the Middle East peace process. It has also been proposed that the EU would offer Israel membership once a peace treaty is signed.

As to the political criteria, Israel being defined as a Jewish state in its declaration of independence, avoids the democratic separation of religion and state, hence it practices several policies which may not be in line with the liberal spirit of the EU. There is no Israeli official legal definition of who is considered a Jew. This results in the current situation in which orthodox religious institutions are sovereign to make decisions of stately nature. For instance, every Jew is entitled to an Israeli citizenship according to the Law of Return, however, not all who claim to be Jews (or of Jewish parentage) are recognized as such by the responsible religious institutions, which judge them solely according to the strict religious rules. There is no other official path to be granted an Israeli citizenship (apart from marrying an Israeli). This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Other aspects of the religious law in Israel include the ban on public transport and commerce on Sabbath, the ban on civil marriage, the ban on the selling of pork, the exempt of most ultra-orthodox Jews from the obligatory military service, the financing of students at religious institutes (unlike those at academic institutes) and the support and acknowledgement of what is called "the independent religious education system", which is a bundle of private religious schools alternative to the official ones and free from any supervision as to the contents of their curricula. In some cases, the lack of separation between religion and state results in discrimination against the non-Jewish Israeli minorities. Apart from the practiced discrimination in the financing of public life in minorities towns (which is against the Israeli law), some discriminatory pratciceds are backed by the Israeli law. For example, a non Jew may not lease state-owned lands if originally purchased by the KKL (The Jewish National Fund). This makes up more than 10 percent of all state-owned lands, which are closed before minority citizens, but open to all Jews, citizens or not. == == <nowiki>[[[[[[[[[{{pov|date=18:21, 30 January 2007 (UTC)}} {{Christian theology}} {{dablink|This article concerns the Sabbath in Christianity. ... Judaism considers marriage to be the ideal state of existence; a man without a wife, or a woman without a husband, are considered incomplete. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... Haredi or Charedi Judaism (alternatively Hareidi or Chareidi - this spelling being usually preferred by Haredim themselves) is the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism. ... The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (Hebrew: â€Ž , [Army] Force for the Defense of Israel), often abbreviated with the Hebrew acronym ×¦×”×œ Tsahal, alternative English spelling Tzahal, is the name of Israels military forces, comprising the Israeli Army, the Israeli Air Force and the Israeli Sea Corps. ... The JNF logo found on all JNF charity boxes. ...

All of these aforementioned religious laws contradict the civil rights of freedom and equality and do not resemble any laws of nationality in other democrarcies. Therefore, these laws may have to be modified to accord with the EU laws, if Israel is to apply to the EU. Public opinions in Israel, however, are in great support of these religious practices, a fact which may raise numerous problems, if the EU is to demand a change in this array. Another dominant religion related issue in Israeli politics is the constitution. All EU members apart from the UK have their national constitutions and the EU as a supernational unit attempts the ratification of a EU constitution. The religious parties in Israel oppose any constitution whatsoever, claiming that the Jewish scripts should serve as such. Their opposition led to the delay in the formulation of the Israeli constitution, which has not yet been completed after more than 50 years of independence. Any constitution, be it Israeli or European, would have to adress the civil rights issues offended by the religious laws, and thus would have to make all religious parties in Israel oppose it. The Basic Laws of Israel are a key component of Israels uncodified constitution. The State of Israel has no formal constitution. ... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ...

Naturally, there is nothing the EU or Israel can do about the geographic criteria. According to the 1992 Maastricht Treaty (Article O) any European country that respects the principles of the EU may apply to join. However, the definition for "European" remains vague, as it can be viewed as either a geographic, cultural, ethnic or historical term. Israel is considered a developed, industrialized democratic nation. Considering its relative geographic proximity to Europe, its predominantly Western culture and way of life, as well as the fact that most of its Jewish population has former European (Ashkenazi or Sephardi) ancestors, Israel could may well be considered an exception. The Maastricht Treaty (formally, the Treaty on European Union) was signed on 7 February 1992 in Maastricht between the members of the European Community and entered into force on 1 November 1993, under the Delors Commission. ... Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim (×Ö·×©×Ö°×›Ö¼Ö²× Ö¸×–Ö´×™ ×Ö·×©×Ö°×›Ö¼Ö²× Ö¸×–Ö´×™× Standard Hebrew, AÅ¡kanazi,AÅ¡kanazim, Tiberian Hebrew, Ê¾AÅ¡kÄƒnÄzÃ®, Ê¾AÅ¡kÄƒnÄzÃ®m, pronounced sing. ... Sephardim (×¡×¤×¨×“×™, Standard Hebrew SÉ™fardi, Tiberian Hebrew ardÃ®; plural Sephardim: ×¡×¤×¨×“×™×, Standard Hebrew Sfaradim, Tiberian Hebrew ) are a subgroup of Jews, generally defined in contrast to Ashkenazim and/or . ...

Additionally, other non geographically European nations, and overseas departments of European nations, are a part of the EU or are considered a part of Europe. For example: Cyprus is geographically in Asia, but is an EU Member State. French Guiana, located in South America, is also a part of the EU, and Georgia (country), located in Asia, is considered, based on cultural, historical, and political definitions, as European. Motto: (Georgian) Strength is in Unity Anthem: (Freedom) Capital (and largest city) Tbilisi Official languages Georgian (also Abkhaz within the Abkhazian Autonomous Republic) Government Unitary republic - President Mikheil Saakashvili - Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli Consolidation - Establishment of first Georgian Kingdoms of Colchis and Iberia c. ...

Support for the accession of Israel to the EU

The accession of Israel to the European Union has been supported by several prominent Israeli politicians, such as former Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, Shimon Peres and Israeli academic Uriel Reichman.^[3] ^[4] Silvan Shalom Silvan Shalom â–¶(?) (Hebrew ×¡×™×œ×‘×Ÿ ×©×œ×•×) (born 1958) is an Israeli politician and current Foreign Minister of Israel, having been appointed in 2003 by the current Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. ... (Hebrew: ×‘Ö´Ö¼× Ö°×™Ö¸×žÖ´×™×Ÿ × Ö°×ªÖ·× Ö°×™Ö¸×”×•Ö¼ (without niqqud: ×‘× ×™×ž×™×Ÿ × ×ª× ×™×”×•), Hebrew transliteration written in English: Binyamin Netanyahu, nicknamed Bibi) (born October 21, 1949, Tel Aviv) was the 9th Prime Minister of Israel and is a leading figure in the Likud party. ... (Hebrew: ; born Shimon Perske on August 2, 1923 in Poland, and immigrated with his family to Israel in 1934), is an Israeli politician, former Prime Minister and current Vice Premier. ...

A poll conducted by the Dahaf Institute of the EC Delegation in Tel Aviv in 2004 revealed that 85% of Israelis would back an application for EU membership.^[5]

It has also been supported by a number of European leaders and public figures. Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the EU in July 2003, likewise indicated an interest in an expanded EU that would include Israel. (born September 29, 1936) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. ...

Marco Pannella, a member of the European Parliament and leader of the Nonviolent Radical Party, has supported the idea since 1988. In an appeal published on several Israeli newspapers, the Radical Party explained the initiative as follow: Marco Pannella Giacinto Pannella, better known as Marco Pannella (born May 2, 1930) is an Italian politician. ... 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... The Transnational Radical Party (former Partito Radicale, not to be confused with the Radicali Italiani liberal party founded in 2001) is a political association of citizens, parliamentarians and members of government of various national and political backgrounds who intend to use nonviolent means to create an effective body of international...

The campaign has gained some support both in Israel and in Europe.^[7]. After the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, he has launched an international manifesto asking for the entry of Israel in the Eu so that "the terrorist and military attack on Israel would be deprived of the strength of its most real reasons and its confessed goals". Combatants Hezbollah Amal LCP Israel Commanders Hassan Nasrallah (Secretary General of Hezbollah) Imad Mughniyeh (Commander of Hezbollahs armed wing) [5] Dan Halutz (CoS) Moshe Kaplinsky[15] Udi Adam (Regional) Strength 600-1,000 active fighters 3,000-10,000 reservists[6] 30,000 ground troops (plus IAF & ISC) [16...

Several other scholars have also supported the idea. Leon Hadar, research fellow in foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, stated that "Conditioning Israel's entry into the EU on its agreement to withdraw from the occupied territories and dismantle the Jewish settlements there, would strengthen the hands of those Israelis who envision their state not as a militarized Jewish ghetto but as a Westernized liberal community. The tragic fate of the European Jewry served as the driving force for the creation of Israel, and welcoming the Jewish state into the European community makes historical and moral sense."^[8] Leon T. Hadar is a research fellow in foreign policy studies, specializing in foreign policy, international trade, the Middle East, and South and East Asia. ... The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Institutes stated mission is to broaden the parameters of public policy debate to allow consideration of the traditional American principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets, and peace by seeking greater involvement of the...

Israeli academic Professor Uriel Reichman, in a Conference on Israel and Wider Europe held on February 16, 2004, said:

For Michael Shtender-Auerbach, public affairs officer at The Century Foundation, "As an EU member at peace with its neighbors, Israel would bolster Europe's status as a world leader and international power broker. This would also provide Israelis with the security and membership in a community of nations that accept and protect them and to give the Palestinians their best hope for statehood in the long battle for sovereignty".^[9]

Other reasons in support of a stronger relationship between Europe and Israel have been given by Hildegard Müller, Chairwoman of the German-Israeli Parliamentary Friendship Group of the German Bundestag, in her speech during her visit to Jerusalem in june 2004:

Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman stated on 2007-01-01 that "the political and security goal of the State of Israel for the next month needs to be clear: joining NATO and entering the European Union".^[11] Avigdor Lieberman Avigdor Lieberman (Hebrew: ), also Liberman (b. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD (or CE) era. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ...

A full 75 percent of Israelis would like Israel to be part of the European Union, and 11 percent said they would leave Israel if they were granted EU citizenship, according to a survey examining Israelis' attitudes towards Europe. World map exhibiting the location of Europe. ...

The study was commissioned by the Israeli offices of the German political foundation Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung .

Half of Israelis visited Europe in the past three years, the study found. The most popular destinations were France, Italy, Britain, Spain and Germany.

Eighty percent of the respondents said they liked Britain, making it the most popular European state among Israelis. Germany placed second with 67 percent support. Germany was followed by Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Turkey and Norway.

France, however, was less popular than its neighbor states, with 61 percent of the subjects saying they disliked France.

The poll was carried out as Germany took up the rotating EU presidency – but only one-quarter of Israelis were aware of Germany’s leadership of the EU. ^[12] The Presidency of the Council of the European Union refers to the responsibility of presiding over all aspects of the Council of the European Union, when exercised collectively by a government, on a pre-established rota of the member states, of the European Union. ...

Reasons against the accession of Israel to the EU

Although it is widely accepted that Israel is an important partner for the EU, many European countries, let alone European citizens, oppose the accession of any non geographically European nations into the EU.^{[citation needed]}

Furthermore, Israel is the center of one of the world's longest conflicts - the Arab-Israeli conflict, centered around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A poll recently conducted among citizens of the EU revealed that over half of Europeans think that Israel now presents the biggest threat to world peace.^[13] Combatants Arab nations Israel Arab-Israeli conflict series History of the Arab-Israeli conflict Views of the Arab-Israeli conflict International law and the Arab-Israeli conflict Arab-Israeli conflict facts, figures, and statistics Participants Israeli-Palestinian conflict Â· Israel-Lebanon conflict Â· Arab League Â· Soviet Union / Russia Â· Israel and the United... Israel, with the West Bank and Gaza Strip in diagonal stripes The Israeli-Palestinian conflict which is at the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict, is an ongoing dispute between two peoples, Jewish Israelis and Arab Palestinians, that both claim the right to sovereignty over the land of Israel/Palestine. ...

These are the main reasons why for the foreseeable future, and at least until the Middle East conflict will be resolved, Israel's accession to the EU as a full member seems rather unlikely. However, since both Israel and the EU seem eager to further develop their relations, a different approach could be taken, under the EU's "Wider Europe" plan. The European Neighbourhood is the region beyond the frontier of the European Union. ...

Additionally, from an Israeli point of view, becoming a member state of the European Union may conflict with the ideology of Zionism. If Israel were a member of the EU, European laws would allow any citizen of a member state of the European Union to move to Israel. Israeli critics of EU membership argue that allowing numerous European Christians and Muslims to move into Israel could erode the "Jewish character" of the State of Israel. Zionism is a political movement that supports a homeland for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel, where Jewish nationhood is thought to have evolved somewhere between 1200 BCE and late Second Temple times,[1][2] and where Jewish kingdoms existed up to the 2nd century CE. Zionism is...

However, while Articles 15, 41 and 46 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights do guarantee nationals of EU countries the right to live and work in other member nations and to vote in municipal elections, the charter does not entitle them to become citizens. Nor is the designation of Israel as a Jewish state likely to offend the Charter, if it is taken to mean Jewish by nationality, rather than religion. Many European states actively promote the languages and cultures of their majority ethnic groups. There's nothing to prevent Israel from promoting the Hebrew language and Jewish culture, as long as it grants minorities the cultural rights due them under the Charter.^[14] The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union is a document containing human rights provisions, solemnly proclaimed by the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission in December 2000. ... Hebrew redirects here. ... Secular Jewish culture embraces several related phenomena; above all, it is the culture of secular communities of Jewish people, but it can also include the cultural contributions of individuals who identify as secular Jews, or even those of religious Jews working in cultural areas not generally considered to be connected...

The European Union's Wider Europe scheme and Israel

The EU's Wider Europe plan poses a dramatic change from its 'traditional' policy towards the Mediterranean and Middle East.

In spite of various shortcomings in practice, the EU's Mediterranean policy reflected a relatively coherent line of (European) security thinking, which was motivated by ‘rational’ security interests. 'Wider Europe', on the other hand, derives from identity-driven dynamics in view of EU enlargement. It resulted in wide-ranging proposals concerning the future of EU-Mediterranean relations in general and EU-Israeli relations in particular, which may challenge the EU's approach towards the Mediterranean and Middle East maintained hitherto.

The issue of enlargement has prompted the EU to reconsider its relations to those countries on the EU’s southern and eastern borders that will not enter the EU in the foreseeable future.

The Commission’s recent ‘Wider Europe’ scheme can be read as an attempt to offer a ‘consolation prize’ to the economically and politically most ‘advanced’ new and old neighbours. Based on a benchmarking approach, this initiative includes the possibility of integrating the southern and eastern neighbours into the EU’s single market in the long term.

The European Union's Wider Europe plan is aimed at creating such a special status to a group of non-European countries, most notably Israel.

The ‘Wider Europe’ scheme seems to derive from a fundamentally different ‘logic’ than the EU’s Mediterranean policy maintained thus far. While the latter was motivated by rather traditional security interests within ‘European’ security thinking, ‘wider Europe’ is a consequence of EU-internal dynamics that are linked to question of identity against the background of EU enlargement.

The ‘Wider Europe’ proposal was also extremely well received in Israel. This country had always tended to consider the ENP as a ‘straightjacket’, in view of its advanced economic status and long-standing political relations with the EU (Del Sarto & Tovias, 2001). This was even more the case in recent years, as the difficulties and eventual collapse of the peace process inevitably spilled over to the regional dimension of the EMP. The European Neighbourhood is the region beyond the frontier of the European Union. ...

In fact, if implemented, Israel is expected to gain most from the ‘Wider Europe’ scheme. Considering that among all the countries that are or will be situated at the EU’s external border, Israel is most ‘advanced’ in its economic and political relations with the EU, Israel is most likely to benefit from the ENP. In this vein, the country may well be ‘the leading star of wider Europe’, as one observer has put it (Primor, 2003). Indeed, the status of EU-Israeli relations cannot be compared to the bilateral relations that the EU maintains to other Mediterranean partners. And indeed, EU officials presented Israel’s integration into the EU’s internal market as a very probable scenario of EU-Israeli relations in the future, provided that Israel was interested in such a development. In this vein, Commissioner Günter Verheugen stated: ‘I consider Israel to be a natural partner for the EU in the new neighbourhood policy. (…) Our relations will be tailor-made and can range from the status quo to the type of close interconnection that we have with countries like Norway or Iceland in the European Economic Area’ (Verheugen, 2003). It should be noted that some academics in Israel had been advocating that Israel should enter the European Economic Area, or achieve a similar status, long before that (Tovias, 2002). The European Neighbourhood is the region beyond the frontier of the European Union. ... GÃ¼nter Verheugen (born 28 April 1944 in Bad Kreuznach, Rhineland-Palatinate) is a German politician, currently serving as European Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry. ...

Most conspicuously, ‘Wider Europe’ contradicts the regional design of the EMP and its inherent region-building approach. While it downgrades the regional dimension to a complementary, and in fact optional, element, ‘wider Europe’ also potentially implies a ‘de-coupling’ of Israel from the Mediterranean region by attaching this country more closely to the EU than other Maghreb and Mashreq states. Concerning Israel, ‘wider Europe’ clearly implies a return to the logic of the EU’s 1994 Essen Declaration, which conceded Israel a ‘special status’ (Extracts of the Conclusions of the Presidency of the Essen European Council’, 1994). At the same time, ‘wider Europe’ seems to imply a softening of the EU’s political pressure on Israel with regard to the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, making the upgrading of bilateral relations between the EU and Israel less dependent on the latter. Of course, the EU may still want to maintain some sort of ‘conditionality’ in EU-Israeli relations. For example, the EU may want to limit the offer of integrating Israel into its internal market to the territory of Israel within its pre-1967 borders. With it, the EU would act in accordance with its decision of not applying the 1995 free trade agreement to Israeli products manufactured in Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. However, together with the adoption of the principle of ‘positive conditionality’ on an individual basis, the New Neighbourhood Policy is also a departure from the EU’s traditional stance on Middle East peace-making. In accordance with its declared aim, the approach of the ENP certainly promises a somewhat greater political role of the EU in matters of peace and reforms in the Middle East – provided that the EU considerable increases its budget for its new policy. Yet considering the EU’s offer of possibly extending the ‘four freedoms’ to Israel – but for the time being not to other Mediterranean partners – the EU’s ambition of being an even-handed broker in the Middle East conflict will be difficult to maintain.^[15] The Algerian bay (view from the west). ... The Mashriq or Mashreq (Arabic: Ù…Ø´Ø±Ù‚) is the region of Arabic-speaking countries to the east of Egypt. ... In European Union law, the Four Freedoms (sometimes the Four Liberties) are the free movement of goods, services, capital, and labour within the internal market of the European Union. ...

External links

Notes and references

Categories: Articles which may be biased | All pages needing to be wikified | Wikify from October 2006 | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Politics of Israel | Enlargement of the European Union May 21, 2003 An earthquake in northern Algeria measures 6. ... May 21, 2003 An earthquake in northern Algeria measures 6. ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

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The EU's relations with Israel GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");