First of all let me express my gratitude to the Israeli Mission in Brussels for the invitation to say something on how I see Israel and also to say good-bye / lehitraot (for now) after a long and close relationship.
Long because it started in 1987 when I was a UN peace-keeper on the Golan Heights and close because I have gone through many emotional ups and downs since then: the moment our first child was born in Jerusalem where my wife and I had lived for more than a decade during three postings; the first intifadah, the Gulf war in 1990/91, when we were under Scud attacks and had to carry around gas masks; the days of hope in the early 90s that there would be peace between Israelis and Palestinians; sharing the shock of the murder of PM Rabin and the terror wave in the mid-90s; the second intifadah; more terror; and the Lebanon war but also the period of PM Sharon and my close involvement in what looked at the time successful negotiations in the aftermath of the Gaza withdrawal. Again years of hope that peace was possible only to be dashed by the recurrent conflicts in Gaza and a deteriorating situation in the entire region.
Apart from the political developments I have seen a country transforming itself to a modern and prosperous state, embracing and at the same time coping with globalisation, a partner and ally of the European Union with close ties in history, culture and the economy. A country promoting the ideas of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, active in the Union for the Mediterranean, ready to engage across the sea and tackle regional issues.
Yes, there is a difference of views on issues concerning the Palestinians but at the same time there is no other country in the region the EU has a stronger relationship with than Israel. And I'm proud that I have contributed to this in the last five years by advancing our cooperation in a wide range of activities from science and research to industrial, commercial, cultural and aviation agreements, all of which serve our mutual interests and help us face common threats and challenges.
I wish the country well; Israel will continue to prosper but I also hope she will find peace in a troubled region during troubled times. And, I hope Israel will remain a strong friend and partner of Europe.
Christian Berger has been the EEAS Director for the MENA Region since 2011. We look back to years of great cooperation and thank him for his important work. We wish him all the best for the future and especially for his new appointment as Head of the EU Delegation in Turkey.
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