EU politicians’ attitude towards Israel – mapped

The European Coalition for Israel (ECI) was formally launched in Brussels in 2003 as “a coalition of all others”, meaning non-Jews, who saw it as their moral obligation to stand up for the Jewish people and the State of Israel in a time of threat . The coalition has its headquarters in Brussels. Ahead of the EU elections, ECI has mapped how the various political parties in the European Parliament have voted on issues affecting Israel

ECI, founded by Thomas Sandell, addresses issues of growing anti-Semitism in Europe and argues for a more balanced perspective on various Israel-related issues. Photo: ECI

ECI mobilizes Christian organizations, churches and grassroots activists from diverse backgrounds. Some main tasks are to address issues related to growing anti-Semitism in Europe, to argue for a more balanced perspective on various Israel-related issues, to present the historical and legal rights of the modern state of Israel – based on international law and treaties, beginning with the San Remo Resolution of 1920 and to recognize and promote the important contribution of the Jewish people, their culture and values to humanity.
In addition, ECI supports the peaceful coexistence of Jews and Arabs in Israel and the Middle East.
The ECI was not the first organization, based on Christian values and beliefs, to express solidarity with the Jewish people; but it was the first to put those words into action by opening an office in Brussels and cooperating with the European institutions.

ECI seeks to inform European political leaders in Brussels, in the European capitals and in the international community about the complex reality of the Middle East.
To achieve this goal, ECI publishes issues and other relevant publications, and organizes conferences and educational events in Brussels and elsewhere in the world.
With just one month left until the upcoming EU elections on 6-9 June, the ECI issued a public call to all friends of Israel in the 27 EU member states to prepare for the elections by actively participating in the EU election campaign and by addressing issues crucial to the security of the State of Israel and to the Jewish communities of Europe.
– Compared to previous EU elections, those entitled to vote no longer have to guess where the candidates stand on these issues that are close to the heart of every friend of Israel. Thanks to a recent survey commissioned by the ECI and carried out by the Brussels-based research institute EU Matrix, concrete data is now available based on European Parliament voting from the previous five years. It is important that these results are widely disseminated before the EU elections, and that our concern about the rise of anti-Semitism is widely heard at as many campaign events as possible, says ECI founder Tomas Sandell.

Sandell believes that senior EU leaders have repeatedly confirmed that “there can be no Europe without Jews.”
– In an age and time when many Jews feel insecure in Europe and some are even considering leaving the continent, we must vote for candidates who are committed to the safety and security of European Jewry, as well as the State of Israel, Sandell emphasizes.
To find out how the respective political parties represented in the European Parliament voted on issues related to Israel during the last electoral period 2019-2024, visit ECI’s special website https://ec4i.org/initiatives/ep-israel-ranking/.
Before World War II, there were 11 million Jews in Europe. After the war, the number had dwindled to just over a million, due to six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and many others forced to leave the continent.