Billions flow between EU institutions and Israel, despite Gaza genocide

Public institutions successful European Union countries are signing profitable contracts with Israeli companies contempt Israel’s agelong way grounds of war crimes successful the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank, information collected by Statewatch and revealed by Al Jazeera shows.

The figures show Spain, among Europe’s most vocal critics of Israel, agreed to 14 contracts worthy astir 227 cardinal euros ($257m) betwixt January 2022 and July 2025, the play covered by the information set. The bulk of that sum – 207 cardinal euros ($235m) – stems from an April 2024 declaration betwixt the Spanish Defence Ministry and Rafael for “aerial combat systems”. Spanish constabulary forces besides purchased bulletproof vests from Israeli institution Marom Dolphin.

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Overall the information shows that nationalist institutions successful EU subordinate states signed 194 contracts worthy astir 2.7 cardinal euros ($3.1bn) with Israeli companies. The existent worth is apt to beryllium higher, arsenic publically disposable EU files study a fraction of the contracts and database immoderate with improbably low-value contracts beneath 1 euro.

The fig of contracts grew aft Israel launched its warfare connected Gaza. In the archetypal 21 months, betwixt January 2022 and October 2023, the information acceptable shows 82 deals worthy implicit 1.2 cardinal euros ($1.36bn). More than fractional of them – 112 contracts worthy 1.6 cardinal euros ($1.8bn) – were signed successful the pursuing 21 months, betwixt October 2023 and July 2025.

The business-as-usual cognition adopted by the EU stands successful opposition with ongoing trials against Israel astatine the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for violating the Genocide Convention successful the Gaza Strip. In 2024, the ICJ recovered a “real and imminent risk” of irreparable harm to Palestinians and ruled that each states should neither assistance nor facilitate Israel’s continued unlawful beingness successful the occupied territories.

Yussef Al Tamimi, an adjunct prof astatine the Department of Legal Studies astatine the Central European University successful Vienna, Austria, told Al Jazeera that the EU’s permissive attack towards Israel was “legally untenable”.

The ICJ “set retired unambiguous obligations for each states to instrumentality measures that eliminate, alleviate and rectify the amerciable concern of Palestine,” Al Tamimi said, noting the tribunal issued an sentiment that is “binding connected each EU subordinate states by virtuousness of these agreements and arsenic a substance of customary planetary law”.

The immense bulk of contracts successful the 42-month play were for precocious technologies and different goods that necessitate precision engineering, extended method expertise and specialised manufacturing facilities, including weapons systems and machine chips.

Aiding Israel’s genocide successful Gaza

Israeli subject companies Elbit Systems, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Troya Tech Defence Ltd were among the 10 apical contractors successful the play considered by the information set.

Hungary, Israel’s closest state successful Europe, signed the highest fig of contracts, 42, worthy astir 603 cardinal euros ($684m).

Yet, countries similar Sweden, which was the archetypal Western European federation to recognise Palestine successful 2014, and Spain, which has agelong expressed solidarity with Palestinians and issued salient statements opposing Israel’s subject battle connected Gaza, did not barroom nationalist institutions from buying goods and services from Israeli companies.

Germany, notable for its enactment for the Israeli authorities and its nationalist institutions, has purchased a multitude of products and services from Israeli companies.

The information acceptable includes 37 contracts betwixt German institutions and Israeli companies for subject equipment, cybersecurity software, laboratory tools and aesculapian equipment, among different things.

The worth of respective contracts – successful peculiar with German institutions – is not disclosed successful notices published successful the EU’s Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) website. Others person a listed worth of conscionable 1 euro ($1.13) oregon adjacent 1 cent, amounts that look excessively debased to beryllium accurate.

A spokesperson of Germany’s economical affairs and vigor ministry said, “Companies located successful Israel tin enactment successful tenders by German authorities institutions – arsenic tin companies located successful different countries pursuant to EU-wide tender legislation.”

They added that the authorities decides connected the granting of licences for arms exports connected a case-by-case ground “following a thorough appraisal that takes into relationship overseas and information argumentation considerations successful accordance with ineligible and governmental guidelines. This besides applies to Israel.

The authorities “takes into relationship compliance with planetary humanitarian law,” the spokesperson said. “Particular information is besides fixed to the recipient country, the benignant of subject instrumentality and its intended use.”

Universities and nationalist constabulary forces successful respective EU nations besides featured prominently arsenic contractors with Israeli firms.

Spain’s Polytechnic University of Madrid signed successful August 2024 2 contracts worthy astir 300,000 euros ($340,000) with Heqapl for quantum computing equipment. Spain’s subject and constabulary force, known arsenic Guardia Civil, signed respective contracts, albeit anterior to Israel’s warfare connected Gaza.

Belgium’s University Hospital Leuven successful April 2024 signed a 1.2 million-euro ($1.36m) declaration for genome sequencing bundle with Israeli institution GNX Data Systems.

ORES, a large state and energy supplier successful the Belgian portion of Wallonia, holds a declaration worthy much than 3.7 cardinal euros ($4.20m) with the accusation exertion institution SysAid Technologies.

The Italian interior ministry features successful a March 2024 declaration worthy astir 4 cardinal euros ($4.54) with the Israeli institution Source Vagabond Systems for bulletproof vests.

At the clip of publishing, the Spanish defence ministry, Spanish constabulary forces, Sweden defence ministry and German ministry of defence had not replied to Al Jazeera’s petition for comment.

Suspending EU-Israel commercialized agreement

The EU, Israel’s largest commercialized partner, could impact Israel’s system and quality to wage warfare if it chose to enforce meaningful sanctions.

Trade successful goods betwixt the bloc and Israel amounted to 42.6 cardinal euros ($45.3bn) successful 2024, according to EU data. A partial suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement – a model that sets the presumption for governmental and economical practice betwixt the 2 parties – could straight interaction astir 5.8 cardinal euros ($6.6bn) worthy of Israeli exports.

The agreement, signed successful 1995 and enacted successful 2000, allowed Israel privileges specified arsenic accessing grants wrong the 95.5 billion-euro ($108bn) Horizon Europe probe and innovation programme.

Israeli researchers, world institutions, and companies collaborated with EU institutions to develop dual-use technologies specified arsenic cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and drones done an estimated 1.11 cardinal euros ($1.26bn) successful grants from Horizon Europe betwixt 2021 and 2024, and astatine slightest a further 40 cardinal euros ($45m) nether the Erasmus+ pupil and unit speech programme betwixt 2015 and 2020.

Last year, a reappraisal by the EU’s diplomatic service, the European External Action Service (EEAS) headed by Kaja Kallas, recovered important grounds that Israel was breaching Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which requires some parties to uphold planetary instrumentality and quality rights.

Kallas, the EU’s overseas argumentation chief, said Israel’s actions specified arsenic cutting disconnected nutrient and aesculapian assistance went “beyond self-defence”.

However, nations including Germany and Italy person opposed suspending the agreement, blocking a bid to that effect earlier this year.

Amnesty International is among respective quality rights watchdogs calling for the suspension of the pact. Eve Geddie, manager of Amnesty’s European Institutions Office, said doing truthful is simply a ineligible work erstwhile 1 of its founding clauses is not respected – arsenic is the lawsuit with Israel.

“Verbal condemnation of Israel’s unlawful conduct by the EU and its subordinate states, including on the establishment and enlargement of amerciable settlements successful the [occupied Palestinian territories], without enactment that attempts to reconstruct ineligible compliance results successful the erosion of international instrumentality to the detriment of all,” Geddie told Al Jazeera.

“Shamefully, the EU has allowed and enabled Israel to proceed its violations successful full impunity.”