FINLAND & PALESTINE Proceedings of a Joint Workshop

It may sound irrelevant to talk about such an abstract term as
the EU's institutional identity when we have the unsettled disputes
between the Palestinians and Israelis at hand. But, if we
consider identity being the basis for all action, it (hopefully)
makes more sense to start from such a theoretical notion.
Now, let us put the said into the context of the EU's action in
the Middle East.
First, the aim is to strengthen the EU as an entity, and have its
foreign policy recognized by other significant actors - including
the Palestinians and Israelis. Secondly, the EU seeks to contribute
to a just solution of the conflict. And, the third element is
the safeguarding of the EU Member States' interests in the
region (and, to a lesser extent, the interests of the Union as a
whole).
When it comes to economic or related activities, the EU has
managed to create an image of a rather coherent and influential
international actor, while, in foreign and security policy
matters, it has suffered from the lack of legitimacy and capabilities
to act. Even in its relations with potential or actual conflict
regions, the link, usually, is primarily economic, in the form of
trade sanctions, development and emergency aid and, in postconflict
situations, reconstruction aid. Although the economic
domain has been emphasized in the EU's integration process,
both in internal and external relations, the EU has not deliberately
chosen to limit its role to that of a paymaster.
3.1. Identity
Involvement in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and
peace-building has, traditionally, been one of the most difficult
questions in international interaction, due to the complex and
contradictory relations of actors and their interests, as well as,
the question of sovereignty among conflicting parties. The
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