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Full profile page: Ing. Jan Špiler

The topic of this diploma thesis is the question of the EU's involvement in resolving the Middle East conflict and focusing on interfaces and differences with other major actors ( especially the US and the Russian Federation, because in this context I see the UN only as an international forum where interests of individual states and groupings, so this work does not focus specifically on the work of the UN ). The aim is to assess, on the basis of the EU's analysis, its contribution and role in the whole process, what leads the EU to engage in the peace process and whether the EU has the opportunity to play a significant role in this area in the future.

The history of the State of Israel is closely linked to the new state's efforts to survive in an area where the surrounding Arab states have certainly not been in favor of it. Although the settlement of Jewish immigrants from all over the world in the decades before the establishment of the independent State of Israel led to problematic relations with the local Arab ( Palestinian ) population, it was the years after World War II that led to a real acceleration of problematic relations not only with neighboring Arab states, but also with the original Arab population in the former mandated territory of Great Britain.

Rising violence and the Sharon government's attempt to prove that Yasser Arafat was personally responsible for a significant part of the terrorist activities made negotiations between the two sides almost impossible. In this tense situation, the United States-led Quartet agreed at the end of April 2003 on a plan to ensure Israel's withdrawal from the occupied territories, but its implementation proved to be very difficult. This plan was also very ambitious from the point of view of the situation at that time, not only in terms of the set goals, but especially in terms of the set deadlines. In addition, in 2002, Yasser Arafat's residence in Ramallah was surrounded and largely destroyed. The Israeli government has since made no secret of the fact that Yasser Arafat, as a negotiating partner, no longer intends to take much into account.

The region of today's Middle East has been an important region throughout the twentieth century in which the interests of the European powers have clashed. The powers that were interested in this area were mainly Great Britain and France, but of course Germany and Italy also had their interests. In the introductory chapter to this work, the period from the establishment of the state of Israel to the present is chosen for the period for describing the international political dynamics. The reason for this step is, among other things, that shortly before the establishment of the state of Israel ended World War II, which significantly affected the international political arena and brought to the scene two new superpowers ( US and USSR ) and with them two different blocs of states, which began to transform into the international political image of the world that existed at that time. The clash between the two ideologies did not escape the Middle East either.

The collapse of the USSR had significant consequences for the Arab world. Quite quickly, the state withdrew from the Middle East arena, which until then had excelled in its anti-Israel stance and which was close to the Arab regimes and their views on the solution to the Middle East conflict. Only the United States and the EC remained, which, as already mentioned, was solving other problems at that time and focusing more on Europe and the new transforming states of Central and Eastern Europe. The Arab states thus lost the possibility of maneuvering between the two great powers. In addition, the US has focused on the newly independent states, and attention and assistance ( including financial ) has shifted in this direction.

The aim of this section is to focus on some of the specifics of the US and Russian approach to the Middle East peace process, especially with regard to current developments from the early 1990s to the present, and to try to compare them with the EC / EU approach. Although previous parts of the work have already pointed out some differences or interfaces in approaches, the focus will be on a more comprehensive view of the situation, including a brief summary of the context that determined the course of the great powers in the region during the Cold War.

List of abbreviations used

The conflict in the Middle East is a widely discussed topic worldwide, which can provoke highly emotional reactions from local people, politicians and also religious leaders, especially in Arab countries. Several generations of politicians have already considered its possible solution, and none of them has reached a definitive solution. There are several important players in the diplomatic field in this area, who are trying by various means to force the parties to reach a final settlement so that the whole region will be stabilized in the longer term. Their activities are proof that they consider the whole region of the Middle East to be an important area for their future relations with the countries of this part of the world, in the case of individual states especially in the political and economic field.

Protocol of Sevres

Venetian Declaration

European Parliament resolution of 12 July 2007 on the situation in the Middle East

The EU has sufficient financial and administrative resources to play a significant role in the Middle East peace process, but there is a lack of stronger promotion of its own positions and views.

List of literature