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"We cannot be partners only on the economic level"



 

What purpose does the European Neighborhood Policy serve? What are the conditions for a balanced European cooperation that can help find a solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Leila Shahid* answers these questions.
 
Is the Association Agreement some kind of carrot dangled by the European Union in exchange of strategic options?
It is more than that. It is a generous and intelligent vision of the future. The whole idea of the partnership came from the disappearance of a bipolar world that divided the East and the West for more than 50 years. Then a new world was born. In order to exist as a regional power, the European Union became conscious that Europe could no longer have enough weight to face the United States, a super power, and to cope at the same time with globalization. The Barcelona process expressed the historical, sociological and cultural reality of the Mediterranean, and the political and economic interest that this part of the world represents. We are witnesses to a historical change.
 
Disappointed enthusiasm?
No. But there is still a lot of work to be done. When we develop a new regional identity, like the Mediterranean one, we have to keep in mind that the concerned countries do not have the same history. Among them, we find colonialists, colonized and sovereign countries, as well as countries in war or under military occupation. This is why this new concept was perceived by Arabs as an attempt to deny political realities and to render Arab nationalism illegitimate in order to impose a Mediterranean identity that does not really exist yet.
 
But the priority went to economic connections to the detriment of the peace objective, which is what Israel aspires to. Isn’t it?
Maybe, but we should learn a lesson from this issue. It was a bet that came originally from the Oslo process, a process that aims at recognizing the national Palestinian identity, implementing bilateral negotiations, and allowing Europeans to help build multilateral peace and security.
 
The Palestinian authority is engaged in the ENP. What will this instrument bring in addition?
I don’t understand yet what the European Neighborhood Policy does. If it is meant to break boundaries, wouldn’t it be self-contradictory to promote it in the territories that Israel is isolating more and more every day? We cannot plan or imagine an economic development without a free circulation of capital, goods and people. The Israeli army, under the pretext of the “holy” security excuse, is dividing the land, locking the cities, atomizing the society, and separating Gaza from the West bank.
 
The European funds, reaching some 250 million annually, are tributary of reforms and good governance. What about your commitments?
We made real progress in financial and social reforms. The EU progress reports prove it. Still, more work needs to be done on the security level. But it is ridiculous to speak of performance, of transparency and of a lawful state without having a state. What kind of surveillance can we have in the absence of a sovereign state?
 
What can Europe do?
In these historical moments we are witnessing on the regional and international levels, Europe can do a lot. However, Europeans haven't entirely assumed their choices. We cannot be partners only on an economic level. The European Union is not reminding Israel of its duties. By treating Israel as an exceptional state, the European Union has discredited the Mediterranean project in the eyes of the Arab world. After 20 years of agreement, it is high time that the European Union reminds Israel of its obligations as a partner, rather than never endingly offering it unlimited benefits to take advantage from.
 
 
 
*Envoy of Palestine to France and soon to the EU, Belgium and Luxembourg.
 
 
                                                                        Maya De Freige

 




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Your reactions
najet aloui, Tunisia | 07-12-2009, 12.53h

Opening a dialogue between the two borders of the Mediterranean sea is a step toward more understanding, tolerance and cooperation. In spite of the cultural, political, economic and social differences between the Arab countries and the European ones, the need to bring these two poles together become a necessity to resist world challenges. On one side and for Europe, the Arab countries are a vast area of investments and profits due to the abundance of natural resources and human potentials. In the other side, Arabs need Europe to accomplish their development process and to solve one of their biggest & hardest problems which is unemployment. But, I think if the dialogue will be successful and promising in terms of economy, both Arabs and Europeans have to talk a lot about, crucial and very sensitive issues, mainly migration, people mobility and terrorism with a lot of credibility, sincerity and respect.