Israel's European policy after the Cold War

What does Israel want from Europe and why? How does it pursue its goals? And finally, who are the relevant actors? This study establishes what has been governing Israel’s attitudes and behaviour towards the EC/EU since the late 1980s. The end of the Cold War, the reversal of Israel’s peace process policy under Rabin and changes of government certainly have had an impact on Israel’s behaviour, but could the changes in behaviour be due to the changes in circumstances and not to a change in the substance of Israel’s attitude? As the analysis shows, Israel’s European policy is astonishingly autonomous. It is also almost exclusively day-to-day politics.
This book thus offers an insight into the workings of low politics of second or third priority, a view that is far from rare but rarely taken. It also sheds light on the behaviour of a state at the inferior end of an asymmetry of power: How does Israel cope when dealing with a vastly larger and more powerful actor, the EU? Special attention is paid to Israel’s self-perception and its understanding of Europe and of the EU’s positions. We look into misperceptions and policy failures that may result from these.