"Carrots, Sticks and EU-Israel Relations." This is the title of a conference to be held at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem at the end of January. The head of the European Union delegation to Israel, Lars Faaborg-Andersen, appears among the list of speakers. Despite the expectations of the organizers, it is doubtful whether his speech on this topic, less than two months before the March 17 elections in Israel, will make sensational headlines.
One of the conference organizers, who asked to remain anonymous, told Al-Monitor, "Today you won't find one ambassador who would speak out notably on this topic." The EU delegation in Israel said in response to Al-Monitor's inquiry, "The European Union does not intervene in electoral processes in third countries, including Israel."