Op-eds
The EU’s Response to the Gaza War Is a Tale of Contradiction and Division The Cairo Review of Global Affairs, January/February 2024 By Martin Konecny In the face of worst-ever Israeli-Palestinian violence, Europe’s selective moralism has also led to strategic blindness. Also published by Qantara.de and Clingendael Spectator.
Why EU's €18m for Israel undermines peace EUobserver, 4 December 2023 By Martin Konecny Why does the EU, in the middle of the Gaza war, throw money on Israel's Abraham Accords, which have only pushed peace with the Palestinians further away?
EU aid to Palestinians is more needed than ever – stopping it would be a gift to Hamas The Guardian, 12 October 2023 By Martin Konecny Brussels is right to backtrack on its threats – cutting the territories’ largest aid package would only inflame the crisis
Textbook hypocrisy: EU's new low point on Palestine EUobserver, 15 September 2021 By Martin Konecny Why are EU Commissioner Várhelyi and Members of the European Parliament devoting more time to exaggerated allegations about Palestinian textbooks than to dealing with real challenges on the ground?
Europe's shameful bias on Israel-Palestine Middle East Eye, 19 May 2021 By Martin Konecny On the selectivity in European official reactions to the latest Israeli-Palestinian round of violence. Also available in French and in Czech in Deník Referendum.
EU must stand up to Trump's Middle East 'peace plan' EUobserver, 30 October 2018 By Martin Konecny EU diplomacy must ensure that Trump's 'Deal of the Century' on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is dead on arrival if it does not meet international parameters.
Britain's shameful role shielding Israel from a UN inquiry Politics.co.uk, 29 May 2018 By Martin Konecny The British government took a negative stance towards an independent UN investigation into the latest violence in Gaza. Martin Konecny dissects UK’s arguments and contrasts its position with UK’s own experience investigating the Bloody Sunday massacre.
Six EU double standards on Israel Euobserver, 22 February 2016 By Martin Konecny The Israeli government has been accusing the EU of employing a “double standard” in relation to Israel. It claims that the EU treats Israel harsher than other countries. EuMEP’s director Martin Konecny demonstrates that, in fact, the opposite is true.
Policy notes
EU-funded study of Palestinian textbooks: tempering allegations while feeding a one-sided narrative July 2021 The note critically reviews the new EU-funded study of Palestinian textbooks by the Georg-Eckert Institute and responds to efforts to misrepresent its findings. It argues that the planned EU follow-up on the study is seriously misguided.
EU support for UN investigations at the Human Rights Council: the Israel/Palestine exception May 2021 EU states have voted for all UN Human Rights Council resolutions establishing independent investigations into violent crises except for those on Israel/Palestine, where they mostly abstained.
EU and Trump plan: Keeping it off the table April 2020 The Q&A note addresses possible European diplomatic engagement following the release of the US plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It warns that promoting negotiations or multilateral diplomacy in the context of the Trump plan, for example through the Quartet, could do more harm than good. Instead, the paper proposes more productive ways forward for the EU.
The UN Security Council and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: disproportionate neglect January 2020 Claims that the UN is singling out Israel by adopting a disproportionate number of resolutions are deeply misleading because they leave the UNSC out of the picture. Given the primacy of the UNSC within the UN system, the opposite is more true: there is a disproportionate neglect of Israel/Palestine.
EuMEP Policy note: Rebooting EU policy on Gaza July 2018 The note proposes ways to refocus the EU’s policy on Gaza in the context of recent US and Israeli moves, the unbearable humanitarian situation, the mass protests at the Gaza fence, and the failing effort at intra-Palestinian reconciliation. If the EU wants to be more than a “cash machine” subsidising others' agendas in Gaza, it needs to change its approach.
EuMEP Policy note on the Quartet report July 2016 On 1 July 2016, the Middle East Quartet, composed of the EU, US, Russia and UN, published a long-awaited report on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Quartet report, pushed ahead to a great extent by the EU, was an opportunity to provide a realistic and impartial assessment of the situation and to propose a meaningful way forward. Unfortunately, the report fails on both accounts.
Publications on FIFA and settlements
EuMEP has closely followed the issue of football clubs in the Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which play, in violation of FIFA’s rules, in the Israeli football competition. Martin Konecny has published several op-eds on this subject.
Why FIFA bottled out of enforcing its own rules on Israel Middle East Eye, 19 May 2017 By Martin Konecny and Hugh Lovatt
Will FIFA Give Israeli Settlement Clubs a Yellow Card? LobeLog, 9 May 2017 By Martin Konecny and Hugh Lovatt
With UN backing, FIFA must strike now to stand up to Israeli settlement clubs Middle East Eye, 9 January 2017 By Martin Konecny
It's time for FIFA to blow the whistle on Israeli football clubs playing in settlements Middle East Eye, 31 October 2016 By Martin Konecny
Why does FIFA still recognise Israeli settlement teams? Al Jazeera, 29 June 2016 By Martin Konecny and Hugh Lovatt
See also EuMEP's info-graphic Israeli football clubs in illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territory May 2016