The Israeli–Palestinian conflict lies at the heart of European foreign policy. Back in 1980, European Community Member States jointly signed the Venice Declaration, delineating their shared position on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Doing so at that time was remarkable in at least two respects. First, because back then – thirteen years before the establishment of the Common Foreign and Security Policy – there was no EU foreign policy worthy of the name. Loosely connected by foreign policy information-sharing and a coordination system known as the European Political Cooperation, Member States achieved in 1980 what they often struggle to accomplish today: a commonly agreed and incisive position that swims against the international and local tide of conflict dynamics. Europeans recognized both Israel's right to live in peace and security, and the Palestinians’ right to self-determination. They did so at a time in which the international community was a long way away from recognizing collective Palestinian rights, less still the right to self-determination and thus possibly to statehood. In retrospect, this European position was as far-sighted as it was revolutionary.

Over the decades and particularly after the Oslo accords, whereas mediation remained firmly in the hands of the United States, the European Union maintained its standard-setting primacy in determining the accepted contours of Israeli–Palestinian peace. Through its diplomatic initiatives and above all its financial support for the then nascent Palestinian Authority, Europeans sought to shape both in rhetoric and in practice the parameters of what became known as the two-state solution to the conflict. Notwithstanding differences and at times divisions between Member States, the Union as a whole should be given credit for its ability to formulate, stick to and advocate its preferred solution to the conflict over the years. With the international system being in a state of profound structural transformation and disruption, the EU's position on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict must be hailed for its predictability and responsibility.

Alas, this is of little solace. Europeans notwithstanding, the Israeli– Palestinian conflict has been rapidly degenerating, particularly since the turn of the century. Eighteen years have passed since there have been meaningful negotiations between the parties with a reasonable chance of success. There is no Middle East Peace Process anymore. There is, occasionally, a process in the Middle East, but certainly not one that has even the slimmest chance of yielding a sustainable peace.