Can Europe Get Serious on Israel?

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde resemble nothing so much as a seamless self compared to Europe’s increasing schizophrenia in respect of relations with Israel. Feature the sanctions announced by Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband. Those punitive measures, joined by Continental states, debuted the same day that Politico reported that the European Union “is looking to Israel to support its new push for high-tech air defense and space capabilities.”Europe is realizing that for all of its posturing, its security is bound up in the military might of the Jewish state. Our A.R. Hoffman reported last week on the $3 billion pact struck between Greece and Israel for “Achilles Shield,” the most comprehensive defense accord ever reached between Israel and another country. The treaty comes even as the Hellenic Republic courses with antagonism toward Zion. Athens is rightly focused on the threat from Istanbul.Greece is hardly alone. Last month, Finland extended its defense partnership with Israel. Helsinki’s public broadcaster reports that Finland pushed for a decade-long extension, rather than the standard five years. Jerusalem agreed. In 2023, Finland purchased for 316 million euros the air defense system known as “David’s Sling.” Defense & Tech reports that Finland now spends hundreds of millions dollars a year on Israeli defense products.Private industry is taking the hint. Volkswagen has announced that it will sell its factory in the German city of Osnabrueck to an Israeli company, Aurelius Capital, and the state of Lower Saxony. The Wall Street Journal reports that the “site’s new owners plan an anchor project with Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems that would involve potentially producing air-defense systems and components for Germany and Europe.”The lesson is to follow where the Europeans spend, not what they say. Feature Britain, where His Majesty’s government has now precipitated a crisis with Israel a little more than a month before the Jewish state goes to the polls to decide the future of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Our Benny Avni reports that Israel is Britain’s second-largest trading partner in respect of defense. Mossad intelligence has saved lives in Britain.Politico relates that this week the head of Israel’s Space Agency, Shimrit Maman, headed to Europe to huddle with the European commissioner for startups, research, and innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva. On the agenda were AI and robotics. That visit comes ahead of a speech on Thursday by the European Commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, that is expected to cover space policy. It would appear that Israeli know-how is crucial for liftoff. Closer to Earth, Politico adds that the EU aimed to create an air defense shield program, but that the effort was scuttled after a “handful of capitals concluded it would need to rely on Israeli air-defense technology, which they deemed too sensitive a year into the Gaza conflict.” Now, it appears that the shadow of peril is focusing the minds of those Europeans responsible for their nation’s security. It is past time for Mr. Miliband to get serious.

Can Europe Get Serious on Israel?

Can Europe Get Serious on Israel?

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