EU financing for Israel: 250 million euros despite war crimes!

EU financing for Israel: 250 million euros despite war crimes!

EU funds flow despite the outraged votes in Israel-over $ 250 million for military organizations!

The world looks banned in the conflict in the Gaza Strip, while the EU continues to transfer millions to Israel! Since October 7, when the recent fights started after the attack of Hamas, the European Union has paid more than 238 million euros (over $ 250 million) to Israeli institutions. Including funds to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), an armaments manufacturer who supplies the Israeli army. How can that be?

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, left no doubt where the EU is: "Israel has the right to defend itself - today and in the coming days." With this clear message and an image of the commission building illuminated with the Israeli flag, she stood behind Israel. But while the EU shows solidarity, Israel is placed in the Hague due to alleged war crimes in front of the International Court of Justice.

EU financing despite protests

The EU has transferred massive sums to Israel on research and innovation programs since 1996. Although Israel is not an EU member, it takes part in these funding initiatives as an associated country. Under the Horizon 2020 program, Israel received a total of 1.28 billion euros ($ 1.35 billion). Since Horizon Europe started in 2021, over 747 million euros ($ 786 million) have been approved.

But the financing continues, despite a riser of over 2,000 European academics and 45 organizations that asked the EU to hire all funds to Israeli institutions. They argued that the Horizon programs had made a decisive contribution to the development of Israeli military technology. "These funding programs directly support projects for the development of military skills," said the petition. But the EU ignored these claims!

technology for civil and military purposes

EU funding is not without controversy. While the guidelines of the Horizon program stipulate that funded projects have to be “exclusively on civilian applications”, there is a back door: technologies that can be used for both civilian and military purposes, as long as the declared goal is civil. Critics warn that this creates a dangerous gray area.

An example is the Respontrone project, which received 1.4 million euros ($ 1.47 million) to develop 3D mapping for drone technology. Theoretically, this technology could also be used for military purposes. Another example is the cooperation between Elbit Systems and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which received over one million euros ($ 1.05 million) for the development of quantum points - a technology that can be used for surveillance and security.

The EU Commission did not respond to inquiries about the ethical reviews of these projects and claims that it does not promote any products that violate international law. But how much control does the EU really have about using these technologies?

The entanglements between Israeli universities and the military are deep. Maya Wind, an Israeli scientist, describes in her book how Israeli universities contribute to the country's military industry. "Cooperation with an Israeli university is at the expense of the Palestinian liberation," she warns.

The EU is facing a dilemma: Should it continue to award funds at institutions that may contribute to military armament while the humanitarian crisis in Gaza escalates? The answer remains unclear, but the outrage grows!