ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses the tension between the European Union (EU) and Hamas reflects the tension between the West and the Islamic East over time. It considers the history factor, with regard to the perception of the relationship between the two geopolitical regions over centuries. The chapter then focuses on the historical involvement of the EU, following its establishment as a Union, in the Arab–Israeli conflict, and focuses on the EU's financial and political roles in the Middle East peace process. During the 1950s and 1960s the EU member states continued to act individually in the international arena and despite several attempts to build a common foreign policy they were reluctant to embrace the idea, and preferred to maintain their own attitudes towards the Arab–Israeli conflict. In this respect, the European countries had sided with the Israeli state against attempts by the Arabs and Palestinians to delegitimize it in the international arena.