Topic
Israel
Strengthening EU-Israel Ties and Working towards a Negotiated Two-State Solution.
The AJC Transatlantic Institute is a firm proponent of strengthening the EU-Israel relationship, which is based on shared democratic values, interests and history. Israel’s unique expertise in areas ranging from counter-terrorism to cybersecurity and high-tech to entrepreneurship reinforce the need for an even deeper, strategic EU-Israel partnership.
While AJC has long advocated for a negotiated two-state solution to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, progress in the peace process doesn’t depend on Israel alone and thus shouldn’t be a precondition to deepening the mutually beneficial EU-Israel relationship.
We seek to inform the policy debate in Brussels on EU-Israel ties, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Jewish state’s place in the world.
AJC's Project Interchange
Through AJC’s Project Interchange, we organize for European policy-makers, diplomats and opinion leaders week-long seminars to Israel and the Palestinian territories to experience first-hand the complexities on the ground.
⇨ Learn more about AJC’s Project Interchange
Related events
Media
Can Europe Become a Middle East ‘Player’?
In 2009, the EU decided to condition any upgrade in its ties with Israel on progress in the peace process with the Palestinians and hasn't held an Association Council with the Jewish state since 2012. While peace still remains elusive, the mutually beneficial relationship has taken a hit. To discuss how the EU can become a Middle East ‘player’ - and not just a ‘payer’ - host Daniel Schwammenthal is joined by Greek MEP Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou and AJC CEO David Harris.
How can Europe Help Prevent the Next Middle East War?
When Iran’s proxy Islamic Jihad fired hundreds of rockets on Israel, Jerusalem’s measured response helped prevent the conflict spin out of control. To discuss how EU diplomacy can help prevent a future Middle East war with mass civilian casualties, host Michael Sieveking is joined by MEP Lukas Mandl, who had just returned from a visit to the region, and Brigadier General (Res.) Assaf Orion, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel.
AJC Concerned over BDS Boost from EU Court’s Labeling Decision, Calls for Deeper EU-Israel Ties
Brussels - 12 November 2019 - The AJC Transatlantic Institute regrets today’s EU Court of Justice decision mandating the labeling of Israeli foodstuffs produced beyond the Green Line. The ruling will likely be instrumentalized by those who seek to delegitimize the Jewish state, which is why it...
Members of the European Parliament Visit Israel with AJC, Call for Association Council and EU Ban of Hezbollah
Jerusalem, 31 October 2019 - A leadership delegation of Members of the European Parliament associated with the Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI), the inter-parliamentary...
Can Europe Help End the UN’s Obsession with Israel?
Every year, the UN Human Rights Council systematically singles out the Jewish state under Item 7 while often turning a blind eye on the world’s most egregious human rights abusers. To discuss this deep flaw undermining the multilateral system and what Europe can do to rectify it, Counterpoint host Daniel Schwammenthal is joined by Israel’s envoy to the EU Aharon Leshno Yaar, who was previously posted in Geneva, and Željana Zovko, Croatian member of the EU Parliament’s foreign affairs committee.
BDS Is Antisemitic
In his latest article in New Europe, AJC Transatlantic Institute Director Daniel Schwammenthal unmasks the patently antisemitic Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The group seeks nothing less than the de-facto dismemberment of a UN Member State: “Irrespective of whether that state in question is Jewish or say, Irish, to call for its end cannot possibly be considered a “legitimate political position.”
What’s TFI all about?
After the launch of the cross-party Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI) in the EU Parliament, Counterpoint host Daniel Schwammenthal spoke with TFI Chair MEP Lukas Mandl and Vice Chair MEP Petras Auštrevičius (Renew Europe) from Lithuania about the group’s priorities, including upgrading the EU-Israel Association Agreement, a speedy convening of an Association Council, and overall stronger ties between Israel, Europe, and the U.S. on the basis of shared democratic values.
AJC Launches Inter-Parliamentary U.S.-Israel-EU Friendship Group
Brussels – 9 July 2019 –The AJC Transatlantic Institute launched today the inter-parliamentary “Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI)” group in the EU Parliament. Chaired by Austrian Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Lukas Mandl (EPP), this is the first-ever cross-party friendship caucus...
A Conversation with Pompeo
In this exclusive interview first aired at the Global Forum, AJC’s annual flagship conference held on June 2-4 in Washington, AJC CEO David Harris speaks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about rising anti-Semitism, the future of American global leadership, why the Trump Administration withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, and the need to bolster the crucial U.S.-Israel alliance.
Why History Still Matters: The 1967 Six Day War
The lessons of the 1967 Six-Day-War are today as relevant as ever. AJC CEO David Harris, writing in the Times of Israel, leafs through the history of Israel’s second existential war of self-defence, dotted as it is with the Arab world’s many missed opportunities to create a Palestinian state and make peace with Israel.