Paper/ Stalled by Division: EU Internal Contestation over the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict by Sinem Akgül-Açikmeşe, Kristina Kausch, Soli Özel and Eduard Soler I Lecha

The future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains vague, as does the EU Foreign and Security Policy towards the region.

In this JOINT Report, Sinem Akgül-Açikmeşe (Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies – EDAM), Kristina Kausch (German Marshall Fund – GMF’s Brussels office), Soli Özel (Kadir Has University) and Eduard Soler I Lecha (Barcelona Centre for International Affairs – CIDOB) analyze the impact of EU Foreign and Security Policy on the conflict.

Intra-EU divisions, Middle Eastern fragmentations, and geopolitical rivalries make it unlikely for EU Foreign and Security Policy to become more joined-up and consequently effective. These can be mitigated by taking advantage of the momentum of regional rapprochement by re-packaging the Palestinian issue as an integral element of a larger regional security bargain.