Finland has an opportunity to reshape EU-Israel ties

How Finland's NATO shift could help redefine EU-Israel relations and Middle East strategy

By Alpo Rusi and Dennis Mitzner

Finland's shift to NATO membership marks a historic geopolitical change, offering a chance to influence EU policy towards Israel. Finland now has an opportunity to influence the EU in forming a strategic partnership with Israel, countering threats from Iran, and fostering regional peace. Following Israel’s Knesset rejecting a two-state solution in July 2024, Finland should push the EU to move beyond outdated Oslo Accords rhetoric, advocating for a demilitarized, deradicalized and democratic Palestinian entity.

Following Russia's attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Finland made a historic shift from its long-standing policy of non-alignment, culminating in its rapid accession to NATO on April 4, 2023. This transition, driven by a dramatic change in public opinion and geopolitical necessity, marks a significant departure from Finland's Cold War-era strategy, sometimes referred to as “Finlandization,” due to its special relationship with Moscow.

For a long time, Finland’s Middle East policy was notably balanced and occasionally pro-Israel. Its neutrality, while pivoting towards the Soviet Union, also intended to avoid Soviet influence. On November 10, 1975, Finland courageously voted against the UN's Resolution 3379, which labeled Zionism as racism and was sponsored by the USSR.

After the end of the Cold War and during the Oslo process, Finland's stance on Israel and the Palestinians aligned with other Western countries. The end of the process in 2000, followed by the second Intifada, combined with the rise of radical Islam and growing antisemitism in the UN, weakened prospects for peace between Israel and Palestinians.

In March 2000, Tarja Halonen became Finland's first female president, coinciding with Vladimir Putin's rise in Russia. During her 12-year term, Halonen opposed NATO membership, resisted EU militarization, and brought back s special relationship with Russia, often siding with the UN majority on Israel-related issues.

Halonen’s foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja frequently lambasted Israel, accusing it of apartheid and welcomed Vladimir Putin’s decision in 2006 to invite Hamas leaders to Moscow. Tuomioja’s ideological underpinnings are similar to Jeremyn Corbyn’s, a former leader of the Labour Party, later forced out for his antisemitic comments.

Read the full article on Newsweek here.