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Israeli-European Diplomacy over the Years

by Katharina Even

A Study Tour

On November 22nd, 2018 Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Israel, together with the Centre for the Study of European Politics and Society at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, organized a study day on the topic of ‘Israeli-European Diplomacy over the Years’ in Jerusalem.

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On November 22nd, 2018 Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Israel, together with the Centre for the Study of European Politics and Society at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, organized a study day on the topic of ‘Israeli-European Diplomacy over the Years’ in Jerusalem.

The participants visited the Israeli Foreign Ministry, where they engaged in discussions with representatives of the European Department on fundamental challenges of Israel-European relations. Talking points included the implications of Brexit and ongoing attempts by the Israeli Foreign Ministry to improve relations with Brussels.

During a short lecture, the students learned about the EU-NATO relations. While the European Union is of highly political relevance, NATO mainly focuses on security policy issues and serves as a dialogue platform  for states without established bilateral relations. It is important to note that Israel equally profits from these opportunities when it comes to regional dialogue or interactions with Arab neighbour states.

The students then discussed Brexit and the Israeli-British relations, as well as the concept of „geometric diplomacy“ between Israel, Greece and Cyprus. Especially in context of economy, research, security cooperation and mutual (military) exercises, Brexit could pose an opportunity for Israel to renegotiate and to update already existing agreements and treaties. In order to offer not only political and diplomatic education, but also professional orientation,  the students were informed about the recruiting and training system of Israeli officers.

The Study day ended with a reflection on European-Israeli relations in general as well as Israel’s relations to the Visegrád-Group and to other European, euro-sceptic political parties. The students were interested in questions regarding the underlying ideological positions, which states on the center-right side of the political spectrum, such as Hungary and Israel, can agree upon.

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