EU’s ‘Geopolitical Awakening’ and Its Actorness in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict – Quo Vadis?

This paper analyzes the European Union’s “actorness” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly in the context of its “geopolitical awakening” and changing foreign policy approach. At a time when the EU is increasingly considered to be emerging as a “geopolitical actor”, moving away from its normative power Europe stance, the paper questions whether there can be a more active role for the EU in the enduring conflicts in its neighborhood, such as the Palestinian issue. Despite a shift from a normative to a more geopolitical strategy, the EU’s role has remained limited in the Palestinian issue, primarily focusing on providing humanitarian aid, financial support, and institution-building, while issuing declarations that often lack tangible impact. Within the context of external factors such as the developments regarding the Palestinian issue and internal challenges like migration further constraining the EU’s capacity, the paper analyzes the weaknesses of the EU’s actorness through the criteria of effectiveness and coherence. It argues that the EU’s lack of effectiveness and cohesion not only undermines its ability to act as a foreign policy actor in the Israeli-Palestinian context, but also points to a broader problem of whether the current prospect of EU enlargement is credible concerning the ‘EU’s actorness’ debate.