"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."

Federica Mogherini, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, has, however, criticized the Israeli government's decision to freeze the transfer of tax revenue to the Palestinian Authority (PA) following the petition of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to join the International Criminal Court at The Hague. She made sure, however, to balance her statement, noting that "recent steps taken by Palestinians and Israelis could aggravate the already tense situation on the ground and bring them further away from a negotiated solution."

​Behind closed doors, European ambassadors serving in Israel have expressed great frustration at the dead end that the contacts between Israel and the PA have reached, but their capitals have instructed them not to wield the "sticks" that are planned if the present situation continues after the election or dangle the "carrots" that will be offered to encourage a breakthrough. All this stems from fear of appearing to intervene in the electoral process, or more gravely, from fear that they could tip the scales toward those who oppose talks with the Palestinians.