by Ariel Kahana
Some 154 organizations from 16 countries sign letter urging EU lawmakers to exclude Israeli defense contractors from $117 billion research and innovation program in 2021-2027
Anti-Israel
activists in Europe have renewed their efforts to exclude Israel from
the European Union's next research and development initiative, Israeli
officials said.
Israel is part of the current R&D initiative, Horizon 2020.
The next program, dubbed FP9, will run
from 2021 to 2027 and lays the foundation for Horizon Europe, an
ambitious €100 billion ($117 billion) research and innovation program
meant to succeed Horizon 2020, the eighth framework program.
Israel, a world-renowned innovation hub, has been the top dependent on these funds among non-EU member states.
But earlier this month, hundreds of
European Parliament members received a letter signed by 154 groups,
organizations and unions from 16 countries, urging the EU "to uphold
its legal responsibilities and exclude Israeli military companies from
EU framework programs."
The letter is titled "No EU Money to the Israeli Arms Industry."
"The EU has been funding security-industrial research for many years," it claims.
"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 militarize 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, put it bluntly, saying, '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.'
"There are many indications that the EU’s
'border control' policies are built on concepts and technologies that
violate human rights. … Well-documented reports show how Israeli
companies have a unique selling strategy, capitalizing 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 colonization.
"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 programs, and in Frontex [the European Border and Coast
Guard Agency] 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."
The signatories urge European lawmakers,
among other things, "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
legitimization of and profiting from technology and methodology used
by Israel in the context of war crimes and human rights violations."
By January 2017, Israel had invested some €1.37 billion ($1.6 billion) to be included in the program.
Israeli officials are concerned that if the
pro-Palestinian activists have their way, Israel will lose billions
of dollars in technological and scientific R&D grants.
Ariel Kahana
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/07/01/anti-israel-activists-push-eu-%e2%80%8eto-exclude-israel-from-research-projects-%e2%80%8e/
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