Israel's peculiar state of affairs: Arab nations friendlier, Europe's relations fall - editorial

An Israeli arriving at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport today could find wine, dates, or other such souvenirs purchased in the West Bank carrying consequences far more serious than excess baggage.

Since September 22, the Netherlands has prohibited goods originating in Israeli communities in the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights, including items carried in personal luggage. Intentional violations can result in up to six years’ imprisonment; even unintentional violations can carry a sentence of up to one year.

Israeli passengers have reported having their bags searched, although Dutch Customs claims inspections are risk-based and random rather than systematic.

Israel responded by revoking the diplomatic status of Dutch officials working in Ramallah. Relations with a country once considered among Israel’s closest European friends have consequently reached a remarkable low. 

Then there is the fall of relations with the UK. Reports emerged this week that passengers arriving at Luton from Tel Aviv were separated from other travelers and had their luggage searched. The Home Office denied racial profiling, saying searches are based on intelligence. Unlike the Netherlands, Britain’s proposed restrictions on settlement goods have not yet taken effect.

Also, at the Labour conference on Monday, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband declared that Palestinian suffering was “a stain on the conscience of the world” and addressed those angered by Britain’s previous approach directly: “We hear you. You were right.”

He went further. Britain, he promised, would “call out ethnic cleansing by the settler terrorists,” evidence of war crimes in Gaza and what he called Israel’s “illegal occupation of Palestine.” The government will ban settlement imports and target British financial, construction, and service links to settlements.

Ireland-Israeli relations on all-time low

Ireland almost seems an afterthought. Its relations with Israel have already deteriorated dramatically, with the political hostility now spilling into sport. Ireland’s soccer coach recently declared before the much-disputed match between the two countries, “We are not playing with genocide. We are playing against genocide. We are playing against Israel.”

Yet not all is doom and gloom. Look south and east, and a very different picture emerges.

While European governments erect new barriers, Morocco is preparing to upgrade its relations with Israel to full embassies. They have agreed to expand direct flights, pursue investment and taxation agreements, and arrange reciprocal high-level visits. This has proceeded despite anti-normalization protests across Morocco. More important for Israel is the United Arab Emirates.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to the UAE at the invitation of President Mohamed bin Zayed. The UAE publicly confirmed the visit, which is noteworthy after years when sensitive contacts were often kept deliberately quiet.

Europe should see irony in situation

Europe should contemplate the irony here. Some Muslim-majority states that live in Israel’s neighborhood increasingly see cooperation with the Jewish state through the prism of shared strategic interests: Iran, Islamism, security, technology, trade, and regional stability.

Their governments certainly disagree with Israel, sometimes sharply, and Morocco’s protests demonstrate that normalization remains contested by some sectors of the population. But in general, their response is engagement.

In parts of Europe, meanwhile, relations with Israel are moving in the opposite direction. Governments face large domestic constituencies demanding increasingly punitive measures against Israel, and Miliband’s appeal to “millions of people in this country” demonstrated how directly domestic politics now intersects with foreign policy. The resulting picture is extraordinary.

In Abu Dhabi, an Israeli prime minister can spend hours discussing common threats with an Arab leader. In Morocco, governments are working toward ambassadors, investment and more flights. In Amsterdam, Israelis wonder whether customs officers will inspect their suitcases for a bottle of Judean wine.

There is something deeply strange about an Israel increasingly able to discuss its future with Arab and Muslim states while its citizens face growing suspicion and restrictions in European countries that once regarded friendship with Israel as essential.

Some in the Middle East have carefully cultivated bridges with Israel. Europe should think very carefully before it starts tearing its own down.