Xinhua, Jerusalem :
European Parliament President Martin Schulz’s visit to Israel was largely a relief for the country since he promised that the European Union (EU) would not boycott the Jewish state.
However, analysts said Thursday that the EU would continue to use economy as a tool to promote a two-state solution to the prolonged Palestinian-Israeli conflicts.
A few European banks and insurance companies have already stopped investing in Israeli companies that operate in the West Bank or are considered to help the Jewish state maintain its occupation of the area.
Although the moves haven’t had a noticeable impact on the Israeli economy, a full boycott from the EU, an important trading partner of Israel, would be much harder to deal with, analysts said.
“The EU wants to use its influence on the Israeli-Palestinian negations,” Azriel Bermant of the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv told Xinhua on Thursday.
One way is using its economic ties with Israel as a carrot, he noted.
The EU, as a very important destination for Israeli exports, has leverage with the country and wants to try to use it wherever it can, Bermant said.
He noted that the EU was considering last year to block Israeli entities in the West Bank from receiving EU grants.
European Parliament President Martin Schulz’s visit to Israel was largely a relief for the country since he promised that the European Union (EU) would not boycott the Jewish state.
However, analysts said Thursday that the EU would continue to use economy as a tool to promote a two-state solution to the prolonged Palestinian-Israeli conflicts.
A few European banks and insurance companies have already stopped investing in Israeli companies that operate in the West Bank or are considered to help the Jewish state maintain its occupation of the area.
Although the moves haven’t had a noticeable impact on the Israeli economy, a full boycott from the EU, an important trading partner of Israel, would be much harder to deal with, analysts said.
“The EU wants to use its influence on the Israeli-Palestinian negations,” Azriel Bermant of the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv told Xinhua on Thursday.
One way is using its economic ties with Israel as a carrot, he noted.
The EU, as a very important destination for Israeli exports, has leverage with the country and wants to try to use it wherever it can, Bermant said.
He noted that the EU was considering last year to block Israeli entities in the West Bank from receiving EU grants.
