Almost overnight and unnoticed, relations between the European Union and Israel have gone through a major transformation. A few weeks ago, the odds of that happening seemed remote. Centuries of persecution, expulsions, blood libel and, finally, the Holocaust are the core of the Israeli (and Jewish) attitude towards Europe. The sense of betrayal at two existential junctures - by France in the 1967 war and by Great Britain in the 1973 war - and theperception of Europe as pro-Arabhave amplified Israel's suspicion of Europe.
European attitudes towards Israel are no less complex. There is recognition of a moral debt and of Israel's achievements and its democracy, but also criticism of Israel's presence in the Palestinian territories and of the means deployed by Israel to protect itself (the security fence, combating terror and its impact on the Palestinian population). The close co-operation between Washington and Jerusalem irked the Europeans while Europe's infatuation with Yassir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, dismayed Israel. All of these things prevented a meaningful political dialogue, let alone co-operation, on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the diplomatic language it translates into "correct" relations, meaning cold and remote.
