Israeli universities are facing increasing accusations of complicity in supporting military industries and the wars that Israel is waging in the region, benefiting from significant European funding through research programs.
Ivar Ekland, a lecturer at the French University of Paris Dauphine, said that there is a close relationship between universities and the army in Israel, and Israeli military industries benefit from the international support that universities receive.
He added that the European Union is the second institution that provides the largest amount of funding to Israeli universities after the government.
Ekland continued that this support is unprecedented in the region and even in the world, explaining that the military industry in Israel was established under the umbrella of research departments in universities.
He pointed out that research in Israeli universities includes developing advanced technologies such as drones and missiles, and long-term research and development programs are being implemented.
The lecturer at the French University of Paris Dauphine also said that the seven major public universities in Israel were established by commercial companies that establish long-term partnerships with Israeli and foreign military and security industries.
Ekland stated that it is very clear that EU research funds ultimately support the Israeli military industry.
Partner country
It is estimated that Israel has been a partner country in European Union research programs since 1996, and Israel received a grant worth 1.28 billion euros ($1.32 billion) in the period from 2014 to 2020 within the “Horizon 2020” program, and more than 747 million euros within the framework of the “Horizon 2020” program. Horizon Europe, which started in 2021.
Horizon 2020 is the European Union’s research and innovation funding program with a budget of approximately 80 billion euros for the period from 2014 to 2020.
Horizon Europe is the European Union’s main program for financing research and innovation for the period from 2021 to 2027, with a budget of approximately 93.5 billion euros.
European money
In her written question to the EU Commission on 26 October 2023, former MEP Edoya Villanueva Ruiz noted that €1.28 billion had been provided to Israeli companies and universities within the scope of the Horizon 2020 project.
She pointed out that the activities carried out by Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the Israel Institute of Technology – which are among the beneficiaries of European funding funds – fund institutions that contribute to the Israeli war strategy.
Ruiz explained that leading Israeli arms companies also receive funding from the European Union.
The former European Parliamentarian said that the European Union provides support to the military industry in Israel, as it funds research and development and buys the weapons it develops after testing them in Palestine.
Repressive universities
In her book “Towers of Ivory and Steel,” Israeli academic Maya Wind described her university as the backbone of the Israeli system of oppression against Palestinians.
Wind emphasized in her book that universities and research laboratories serve the Israeli occupation and apartheid.
She pointed out that Israeli universities violate the educational rights of Palestinians, by preventing them from financially funded academic studies, and severely suppressing student opposition.
Boycott Israel
Last July, more than two thousand European academics and 45 institutions expressed their concern that activities with military objectives carried out by Israeli institutions benefiting from funding from European programs contribute to the ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip.
In a letter to the European Union, the academics called for the suspension of funding provided to Israeli institutions.
They explained that financing the Horizon Europe program plays a crucial role in developing Israel’s military technology and indirectly supports its defense industry.
The letter stated that this funding directly contributes to strengthening Israel’s military capabilities.
The academics also stressed the need to exclude Israeli institutions from European Union research programs due to the ongoing human rights violations committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip.
