Internal paper shows EU sought to shield Israel from sanctions

 

An internal paper reveals that European Union officials have gone to considerable lengths in assuring Israel that they would continue cooperating with it during the genocidal war against Gaza.

Despite frequent talk about how “red lines” must not be crossed, the EU has so far backed away from collectively sanctioning the Israeli state as it massacres and starves Palestinians.

The determination to preserve a business as usual approach is evident from a September 2024 document, obtained via a freedom of information request.

High-level Brussels officials held a discussion that month with Dror Bin, head of the Israel Innovation Authority. Briefing notes prepared for the meeting celebrated the EU’s partnership with Israel on scientific research as “excellent and beneficial to both parties.”

The paper makes clear that the European Commission – the EU’s executive – wished to preserve and even strengthen that partnership.

For the EU it is “extremely important” to work with Israel as it has a “top-notch innovation capacity,” the paper says. At 5.44 percent of gross domestic product, Israel’s expenditure on research and innovation is considerably higher than the 2.26 percent average for the EU’s 27 countries.

Rather than containing any specific details about the Gaza genocide, the paper merely referred to “the current conflict in the Middle East.”

Palestine solidarity groups and numerous academics had called for Israel to be expelled from Horizon Europe, the EU’s scientific research program. Yet the paper underscored that the European Commission was opposed to those calls.

Ending participation in the program “solely on the basis of the nationality should be considered as an improper termination” and “amounting to discrimination,” the paper – see below – says.

The argument put forward here betrays the pro-Israel bias of the EU institutions.

The Gaza genocide involves racism in its rawest form. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, has repeatedly framed it as a war of “civilization against barbarism.” At one point, he invoked the Bible to apparently threaten an entire population with annihilation.

Although Palestinians are viewed as “human animals” who may be butchered en masse, the EU has been eager to paint Israel – the state carrying out the genocide – as a potential victim of discrimination.  (more...)

Internal paper shows EU sought to shield Israel from sanctions