ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the European Union' (EU) relations with Israel and Palestine and of the Union's role in conflict resolution, and emphasizes the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) framework. It shows that the EU has developed close political and economic relations with both Israel and Palestine, while simultaneously developing its role as a political mediator in the conflict. Through the ENP framework, the EU has sought to link its political objectives in the Middle East Peace Process more closely to its bilateral relations with Israel and Palestine, an effort that has not been without tensions and contradictions. The EU understands the Israeli–Palestinian conflict to be closely linked to the stability of the wider Middle East and North African region, which matters for the containment of political violence and radicalism, the management of migration pressures and European energy security. The EU holds that a political resolution of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict is imperative.
