In full genocide, the European Union continues to finance Israel
Ten days after the blocking of a delivery of weapons for Israel in the port of Marseille, revelations this time tarnish the European Union. One of its flagship projects is implicated: the Horizon Europe program. A program that would have been used to partially finance the Israeli military-industrial complex.
93.5 billion euros. This gigantic sum is the total amount of Horizon Europe aid, the European Union program for research and innovation (2021-2027). Theoretically, these funds are not supposed to serve any military goal. The outlets should only be civilian. In fact, according to an investigation published on May 31 by the Belgian media L’Echo,, No less than 21 projects in the Horizon Europe program finance the Israeli army directly.
Israeli defense funded by EU money
Among these European funding, there is in particular aid of 2.8 million euros for Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), one of the largest Israeli defense groups. This group also plays a major role in Israeli military operations implemented since October 7, 2023.
Sometimes, the funding of Horizon Europe even arrive directly on the office of the Ministry of Defense of the Hebrew State. This is the case with the “Undersec” project. This program, in progress until the end of 2026, aims to secure underwater infrastructure. To do this, the ministry received directly 100,000 euros from the European Union.
Same thing for the Israeli Public Defense Rafael Advanced Defense System, which received half a million euros from the Caisses of the Horizon program.
The Orient XXI media adds: “Since October 7 (2023), the Horizon Europe program, the main research and innovation financing instrument, has authorized the granting of nearly a hundred subsidies to Israeli companies and institutions ”.
The European Defense Fund questioned
This is not the only means of financing the Israeli military-industrial complex by the EU. The European Defense Fund is also in turmoil following the revelations of the disclose media on June 12. This organization, unlike the Horizon program, finances projects directly related to the security and defense of countries.
This is the case of the Actus project, funded by the European Defense Fund for 42 million euros. This envelope, unlocked last year, aims to arm and improve military drones. And she benefits the company first Intrascom DefenseProject coordinator, who received 14 million euros. Except that this company, domiciled in Greece, is 94% owned by Israel Aerospace Industries … The drones developed by this Israeli group are used in particular “To monitor, target and strike buildings and camps where Palestinian civilians are refugees ”, According to disclose.
Financing of Israeli universities
Many human rights organizations in Europe also denounce European funding received by Israeli universities. This is the case with the European coordination of committees and associations for Palestine (ECCP). This organization explains on the sidelines of a petition published on June 2: “Israeli universities form a key part of the fabric of the Israeli military-security establishment and its arms industry.”
In Israel, several universities have military complexes integrated into their campuses, like the University of Tel Aviv (230 million euros in European funds) or even the Ben Gurion University (54 million euros in the EU). The latter actively collaborates with the Israeli army and the Ministry of Defense for its programs.
According to ECCP, they develop “Surveillance weapons and technologies intended to be tested in the occupied Palestinian territory, in close collaboration with all the main manufacturers of Israeli arms. ” The organization cites several projects and their financing within the framework of the Horizon program: the project Herwingt690,000 euros received by IAI or the project Drones respond with 1.4 million euros for IAI always. As a reminder, this defense group boasts “From experience proven in combat to provide solutions” on its website.
Opposition to these financing programs is organized
Faced with these doubtful funding to say the least, civil society actors try to force the European Union to stop all its economic activities and partnerships with Israel. Contacted, Nozomi Lanza, who follows these questions for EECP, says that “European institutions are accomplices of the situation in Gaza” Because of these funding. It denounces the inability of these European organizations “To control the ethics of their own projects.”
European funding cannot be allocated to countries which violate human rights and which are in opposition to the fundamental values advocated by the European Union. To Mounir Satouri, ecological European deputy, “European leaders must urgently cut short these funding, and get out of complacency and complicity.” Same story for the ECCP, which intends to present its petition to the European Commission on June 20. A few months ago already, nearly 200 European NGOs claimed the suspension of the association agreement between the European Union and Israel, in force for 25 years.
