Ambivalent Europe

By Salama A Salama

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Europe failed to do anything about Israel's 22-day offensive on Gaza. But once the fighting stopped, European envoys were quick to appear in Sharm El-Sheikh for talks on how to stop the smuggling of weapons and to rebuild Gaza. Draw your own conclusions, but I am convinced that Europe is ambivalent on everything having to do with the Middle East. The Americans, at least, are honest. Only a few hours before the Bush administration left office, it still had the time to sign a security agreement with Israel. Call it collaboration, but at least we know where we stand.

I cannot think of one nation on earth that didn't voice outrage at Israel's offensive. Governments, however, seem to think differently. Europe and America, in particular, didn't even question Israel's claim that it was all done in self-defence.

Interestingly, however, Europe doesn't like to be seen as taking sides. So what did it do? Throughout the crisis, Europe kept sending one high level official to the region after another. These officials urged all sides to stop shooting, but didn't do anything about getting Israel to implement a pertinent UN Security Council resolution. German Chancellor Merkel, who made no secret of her sympathy with Israel, didn't mind sending her foreign minister to Egypt, where he offered technical assistance in monitoring the Egypt-Gaza border and stopping the smuggling of weapons.

Tony Blair, former UK prime minister and current envoy of the Quartet, was the worst. Since he began his mission in 2008, Blair met everyone and yet failed to produce anything tangible. He had repeated talks with Abbas, Olmert and Mubarak, and yet couldn't even persuade Israel to loosen its blockade on Gaza. This should not come as a surprise. After all, this is the same man who led the UK into the quagmire of Afghanistan and Iraq, and later refused to denounce Israel's aggression on Lebanon and Gaza.

At least the French tried. Sarkozy travelled to the region in the first few days of the offensive and gave immediate backing to the Egyptian initiative. Earlier, France backed the Union for the Mediterranean, hoping that it would further the prospects of peace among countries in the region.

All in all, however, Europe failed to do anything about Israel's brutalities. If anything, this shows that we cannot realistically hope for an even-handed European role. Israel's hold on Europe is stronger than its hold on the US. So, at least until further notice, expect Europe to keep siding with Israel, then -- out of guilty conscience -- offer aid to the Palestinians.

Generally speaking, Europe toed the US line during the Lebanon and Gaza wars. It offered help to the security forces of the Palestinian Authority, but only as part of an attempt to deepen the rift between Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas. Europe is simply refusing to see Hamas as a Palestinian political party, which is what it is. Some European politicians, including Javier Solana, tried to talk to Hamas, but the Americans put an end to that.

After the dust settles, Europe will lavish us with the usual grants and funds needed for the reconstruction of Gaza. This is its way of pretending to be fair, and this is as far as it will go. So don't expect much from Europe. In particular, don't expect it to put the brakes on Israel's lust for blood.

Much depends on how the Obama administration relates to the next Israeli government. Again, Europe is waiting for its cue from Washington. If Gaza has shown us the frailty of Arab politics, it also told us much about Europe's limitations.