No EU money to the Israeli Arms industry
A call to stop the EU’s role in militarisation and profiteering from human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territory
The EU has been funding security-industrial research for many years. The overall EU budget for security researchhas tripledfrom €1.4 billion, under the previous budget period, to €3.8 billionfrom 2014 to 2020.This European taxpayers’ money is being channeled to military companies, among them many Israeli corporations, under the disguise of research and a promise that the technologies and techniques developed will be used solely for civilian purposes.
One of the ways in which arms and military companies have gained access to EU funding is through the current EU Program for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020. This includes many Israeli military companies. Although the EU claims that research funds have gone only to projects with civilian applications, many of the projects approved are of dual-use nature serving military interests as well. Many others serve policies that curb or violate refugees’ rights and militarise our societies.
The EU’s cooperation with Israeli military companies is proof that dual-use projects are inherently serving military purposes as well. Isaac Ben-Israel, Chairman of the Israel Space Agency,putit bluntly: “because we are a small country, if you build a small-satellite production line, say at IAI, it will be used for military and for commercial purposes.”The ECCP and Stop the Wall undertook a thorough analysis of EU projects which involve Israeli military companies; the analysis shows how public European funds are currently being used to develop, legitimise and profit from technology that is “field-tested”by Israel in the commission of war crimes and human rights violations.
There are many indications that the EU’s ‘border control’ policies are built on concepts and technologies that violate human rights. From the Transnational Institute and StopWapenhandel a well-documented report shows how Israeli companies have a unique selling strategy, capitalising on the fact that Israeli technology is ‘battle proven’ during illegal actions and policies of ‘border control’ and ‘population control’ in the context of occupation and colonisation, such as the Wall in the occupied West Bank, the siege and military attacks on Gaza, and many more examples.
Israeli military and homeland security companies, such as the Israel Aerospace Industries, have played a role in fortifying the borders of Bulgaria and Hungary, in the EU maritime surveillance programmes, and in the EU Frontex programme in general.
The EU refuses to take into account the grave misconduct of companies as well as the origin and possible destination of such technology thereby violating its own rules and regulations.
In July 2017, 25 international law experts published a legal opinion regarding the case of the Horizon 2020 LAW TRAIN project,which is based on cooperation with the Israeli police, which have a track record of torture and other human rights violations. The experts’ report highlights the need to exclude such actors demonstrably involved in systematic violations of human rights. By funding such projects, the EU simply turns a blind eye to grave violations of international law and human rights carried out within or outside its borders.
Therefore we call on the EU:
- To limit EU Framework programs strictly to civilian security and peace research, excluding also research in border surveillance and dual-use technologies, and to avoid any link between Framework Programs and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), in particular the EU Defence Agency (EDA);
- To immediately exclude all Israeli military and security companies from the EU framework programs, given that an analysis of past projects has shown that their participation in these programs inherently involves EU support for the development and legitimisation of and profiting from technology and methodology used by Israel in the context of war crimes and human rights violations;
- To ensure transparency and democratic control over EU research programmes’ annual calls for proposals.
Signatories:
European and international platforms:
1. European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine
2. Pax Christi International
3. European Network Against Arms Trade (ENAAT)
4. Corporate Europe Observatory
5. Decolonial International Network (DIN)
Austria:
6. Women in Black (Vienna)
7. Antiimperialistische Koordination (AIK)
8. Society for Austro-Arab Relations (SAAR)
9. Styrian Peace Platform (Steirische Friedensplattform)
Belgium:
10. La Centrale Generale FGTB – trade union
11. Socialist Union for Cultural Workers and Media (ACOD Cultuur) – trade union
12. Belgian Workers Party (PVDA – PTB) – political party
13. LEF-FGE – NGO
14. 11.11.11 – NGO
15. Vredesactie
16. Belgian Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (BACBI)
17. Plateforme Watermael-Boitsfort Palestine
18. Palestina Solidariteit
19. Association Belgo-Palestinienne
20. Hand in Hand tegen Racisme
21. Partij van de Arbeid
Finland:
22. Communist Party of Finland – political party
23. Friends of the Earth Finland – NGO
24. Finnish-Arab Friendship Society
25. Finnish Peace Committee (Suomen Rauhanpuolustajat)
26. Physicians for Social Responsibility, Finland
27. Spartacus Foundation
28. Women for Peace, Finland
29. Women Against Nuclear Power, Finland
30. Amandamaji rf, Finland
31. Committee of 100 in Finland
32. Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions Finland
France:
33. Union Syndicale Solidaires – trade union
34. The French Communist Party (PCF) – political party
35. The Party of the Indigenous of the Republic (PIR) – political party
36. Pax Christi France – NGO
37. Ligue des droits de l’Homme (LDH) – NGO
38. Plateforme des ONG françaises pour la Palestine – NGO
39. Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS) – NGO
40. Union juive française pour la paix (UJFP) – NGO
41. Mouvement pour une Alternative Non-violente (MAN)
42. Comité de Vigilance pour une Paix Réelle au Proche-Orient (CVPR PO)
43. Association des Universitaires pour le Respect du Droit International en Palestine (AURDIP)
44. Sciences Citoyennes
45. REF – Réseau Euromed France
46. BDS France,
47. Collectif Judéo Arabe et Citoyen pour la Palestine
48. Mouvement International de la Réconciliation-France
49. Association Jumelage Palestine France
50. La Cimade
51. Réseau Sortir du colonialisme
52. Mouvement contre le Racisme et pour l’Amitié entre les Peuples (MRAP)
53. Forum Palestine Citoyenneté
54. Le Mouvement de la paix
Germany:
55. Jewish Voice for Peace (Jüdische Stimme für gerechten Frieden in Nahost) Germany
56. Deutsch-Palästinensische Gesellschaft NRW Süd
57. BDS Berlin
58. BDS-Gruppe Bonn
59. Institut für Palästinakunde e.V.
Ireland:
60. Derry Trades Union Council – trade union
61. Dublin Council Of Trade Unions – trade union
62. Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association of Great Britain and Ireland – trade union
63. Sinn Féin – political party
64. Communist Party of Ireland – political party
65. Solidarity – The Left Alternative – political party
66. People Before Profit – political party
67. Sadaka – NGO
68. Centre for Global Education – NGO
69. Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign – NGO
70. Action from Ireland (Afri) – NGO
71. Africa Solidarity Centre Ireland – NGO
72. Trade Union Friends of Palestine – campaigning group
73. Peoples Movement – Gluaiseacht an Phobail – campaigning group
74. Peace and Neutrality Alliance – campaigning group
75. Irish Football Fans Against Israeli Apartheid – campaigning group
76. Shannonwatch – campaigning group
77. Academics for Palestine – campaigning group
78. Students for Justice in Palestine (Dublin) – campaigning group
79. United Against Racism – campaigning group
Italy:
80. New Weapons Research Group – NGO
81. Salaam Ragazzi dell’Olivo – Comitato di Milano – NGO
82. Salaam Children of Olive Tree – Milan Committee – NGO
83. Rete della Pace – network of 60 organisations – involved in peace, disarmament, noviolence, human rights.
84. Associazione Amici della Mezzaluna Rossa Palestinese
85. Casa Terra
86. Cultura è Libertà
87. Comitato ”Nessun M346 a Israele” (Varese)
88. Donne in nero (Women in black)
89. Rete Disarmo (membro ENAAT)
90. Rete Ebrei contro l’occupazione (ECO)
91. Rete Romana di Solidarietà con il Popolo Palestinese
92. Reti di pace (Laboratorio Monteverde)
93. WILPF Italia (Women’s international league for peace and freedom)
94. BDS Italia
95. Rete Disarmo
96. Tavolo TerraCorpiTerritori&SpaziUrbani in Non Una Di Meno, Italy
97. AssopacePalestina
Luxemburg:
98. The National Federation of Railway Workers, Transport Workers, Officials and Employees of Luxembourg (FNCTTFEL)– trade union
99. déi Lénk – political party
100. SOS Faim – NGO
101. Cercle de Coopération – NGO
102. Comité pour une paix juste au Proche-Orient
103. Action Solidarité Tiers Monde
The Netherlands:
104. Socialist International
105. Kairos Sabeel Nederland – NGO
106. Diensten en Onderzoek Centrum Palestina (DocP) (DocP)
107. Transnational Institute – think tank
108. Nederlands Palestina Komitee
109. SAP/Grenzeloos
110. EMCEMO
111. Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Dutch section
112. Vredesbeweging Pais
Scotland:
113. SNP Friends of Palestine
114. Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
115. Scottish Friends of Palestine
Spanish State:
116. Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT), trade union
117. Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), trade union
118. Basque Workers Solidarity – ELA (Basque Country), trade union
119. Confederacion Intersindical Galega – CIG (Galicia), trade union
120. Intersindical Alternativa de Catalunya (IAC), trade union
121. Podemos – political party
122. SODePAZ – NGO
123. Internazionalistak Auzolanean – social movement
124. Unión de Juventudes Comunistas de España
125. BDS País Valencià – social movement
126. Unadikum- social movemnet
127. Paz con Dignidad
128. Associació Punt d’Interacció de Collserola
129. Centre Delàs d’Estudis per la Pau
130. ISM en el Estado Español
Slovenia:
131. Proja Pro Justice through Action
132. Society for Human Rights Humanitas
133. Mirovni Institut
Sweden:
134. The Palestine Solidarity Association of Sweden
Switzerland:
135. Communist Party – political party
136. Collectif Urgence Palestine-VD
137. Urgence Palestine Nyon La Côte (Suisse)
138. BDS Switzerland
139. Alternative refugee center
140. Women and development
UK:
141. UNISON – trade union
142. Sabeel-Kairos – NGO
143. UK-Palestine Mental Health Network – NGO
144. Palestine Solidarity Campaign UK – NGO
145. War on Want
146. Red Card Israeli Racism campaign
147. British Committee for the Universities of Palestine (BRICUP)
148. Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR)
149. Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods (J-BIG)
Norway:
150. LO i Oslo – trade union
151. Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees (Fagforbundet) – trade union
152. The Association of Norwegians NGOs – NGO
153. The Palestine Committee of Norway
154. The Norwegian Committee for Academic and Cultural boycott of the state of Israel – (AKULBI)