Occupation and Sovereignty: Renewing EU Policy in Israel-Palestine

Policy Brief

Developments in 2017 have brought into focus the one-state reality taking hold in Israel- Palestine. This will have unavoidable repercussions for the EU and its member states, underlining the urgent need for bolder and more decisive EU action.

The EU must take seriously the implications of an emerging one-state reality for EU-Israel relations and EU policy more generally. This should not be about discarding the two- state solution but rather acknowledging that an immediate course correction is required to avoid a fully fledged one-state reality of perpetual occupation and unequal rights.

Despite the absence of credible US leadership, the EU and its members have the power to save the two-state solution. If they are serious about this, they must act now – and with determination. This includes supporting on- the-ground Palestinian sovereignty- building strategies, cementing the contours of a nal status agreement, and leveraging Israel’s growing relations with Gulf Arab states to make meaningful Israeli steps towards de- occupation.

By Hugh Lovatt, Policy Fellow for the Middle East and North Africa Programme, European Council on Foreign Relations.