As Israel celebrates its 60th anniversary, its relations with the European Union have never been as warm as they are today, according to the European Jewish Press, which reported Wednesday that Israel and the EU have developed a "real political dialogue" on a range of issues and are likely to upgrade their bilateral relations in various sectors.
"Although there is still criticism of Israel in Europe, mainly in the public opinion and within the European Parliament, for example on the Gaza crisis, I don’t think that we have differences with Europe today in terms of strategy," Ran Curiel, Israel’s ambassador to the EU, said. "You don’t hear calls for sanctions against Israel anymore every time there is a disagreement about Israeli policy," the ambassador said.
Several elements explain the change in the EU-Israel relationship, analysts say: the enhanced economic cooperation between the two sides, the EU enlargement since 2002 which included the entry of pro-American and pro-Israel former Communist countries like Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the terrorist attacks in Madrid and London which gave Europe a sense of what Israel was facing in terms of security, the growing threat from Iran’s nuclear program and leadership changes in France, Germany and Italy. In addition, the Disengagement from Gaza in 2005 and Israel's acceptance of the "two-state solution" have helped relations with the EU considerably, according to the report.