On Nov. 7, Federica Mogherini is embarking on a two-day visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, her first official trip abroad as the EU’s new high representative for foreign affairs and security policy. Her visit comes at a critical time, with violence now regularly flaring in East Jerusalem amid the collapse of the US-led peace process. Many Palestinians feel their political horizons receding after a series of Israeli actions have further undermined prospects for reaching a two-state solution while further stoking tensions.

In remarks made before her trip, Mogherini underlined her belief that European actions can be decisive at this key moment, but it requires the European Union to move forward. Although her comments may be dismissed by some, they come against a backdrop of increasing European frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies toward the occupied territories. In a sign of things to come, an EU spokesperson warned, “The future development of relations between the EU and Israel will depend on engagement toward a lasting peace based on a two-state solution."

It is on the EU member state level, though, that such frustrations come to the fore, most noticeably in the form of Sweden’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state. Last month also saw the British House of Commons voting overwhelmingly in favor of a motion that called on the British government to recognize the state of Palestine. Ireland’s Upper House has since followed suit, with similar motions likely to be hotly debated in the Spanish and French parliaments in the near future. Even French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has indicated that the French government could do likewise if negotiations prove impossible.

With politicians in three of the EU Quint (France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain) increasingly vocal in their support for Palestinian statehood aspirations, it would seem likely that the momentum generated will be felt in other EU member states and inevitably impact EU policy. Rather than just a sign of “which way the wind was blowing,” as UK Ambassador to Israel Matthew Gould admitted, recognition of Palestine can produce some practical consequences.