Is the European Union facing similar political setbacks to those of Israel? From papers presented this week at an academic conference at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem, the general impression was that the EU is in an even worse state.
Co-hosted by the Israel Association for the Study of European Integration in cooperation with the European Forum of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the conversations dealt with a diversity of subjects, a large proportion of which focused on Israel-EU relations.
As far as the EU itself was concerned, viewpoints based on extensive and intensive research included comments such as “Europe is disintegrating” for lack of uniformity.
There was consensus that Europe is no longer left-leaning and that Europe has changed its attitude to Israel, having moved from empathy to criticism to harsh criticism.
For Jewish politicians, especially those in Europe, it was agreed that the EU poses a dilemma in that it is both glorious and accursed.
There were also unvarnished opinions expressed on the negative effect that Russian aggression has had on continental Europe, and that US President Donald Trump is determined to destroy the EU.
The most frequently repeated expressions were: “We live in a changing world,” “Europe is disintegrating,” “Europe is moving to the Right,” “Rules are being violated,” and “Politics are undermining the legitimacy of humanitarian organizations and of liberal democracy.”
A subject discussed at length and so familiar to Israelis was that of shaming and blame shifting.
EU's policies towards Israel-Hamas War, China, Russia, US geopolitics
Other issues that came up in several papers were reactions of the EU and individual European governments to the Israel-Hamas War, and how China, Russia, and America affect European and global politics, economics, and diplomacy.
It was argued that the emotion of memory plays a significant role in the approach and context of the latter.
What was most interesting to anyone who had sat through the whole day of the conference was that the keynote speaker, Robert Halbeck, who arrived to deliver the final lecture, confirmed nearly everything that had been said during the day, even though he had not been present to hear it.
Halbeck, a former German vice chancellor, energy minister, and current leader of the Greens, is an influential political figure in Germany and a strong supporter of Israel, but he too has voiced occasional criticism.
He is currently in Israel to learn close-up and from personal experience what Israel is all about, and is interested in hearing different points of view. He is also teaching two courses at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Halbeck said that he was speaking more from a European perspective than a German one, and clarified that he had not come to interfere in Israeli politics.
As minister, he had ridiculed Trump’s economic sanctions, and continued to do so. ”I don’t believe in all that boycott stuff - it doesn’t work,” he said.
Halbeck also explained that although the Greens is a leftist political party, he personally tries to move to the center. He is a firm believer in the Rule of Law, which he is convinced is the best way to move forward.
Despite the tendency in Europe to blame migration for the woes of the continent, Halbeck disagrees. “It isn’t migration, it’s always something else in people’s lives,” he said. “When you ride a bicycle, you are accused of destroying Germany’s automobile industry.”