Israel-Palestine in the 2024 European Parliament Elections
摘要
Examining the role of the Israel-Palestine conflict in the 2024 EP elections, this chapter analyses 82 party manifestos from 12 EU states. Almost half the studied parties mentioned the issue, often by referring to the ongoing war in Gaza but also by addressing topics like Israel’s occupation and Palestinian statehood. There were clear national differences and peculiarities, such as some parties in Germany and Austria associating the fight against antisemitism to the Gaza war. More prominent was a left-right partisan slant that has emerged despite longstanding EU positions on a two-state solution. The ongoing war and a need for a ceasefire was clearly more frequently mentioned on the left, as were a two-state solution, international law and possible sanctions on Israel. The threat of terrorism was more commonly brought up on the right of the political spectrum. Although the topic is back on the EU agenda, divergent national and partisan perspectives will hinder a unified stance.