Brussels (TDI): The European Commission has announced that it is considering a partial suspension of Israel from the European Union’s £80 billion Horizon Europe scientific program on the grounds of Israel’s human rights violations in Gaza.
Horizon Europe is one of the most prestigious scientific research programs in the world and has never suspended the membership of any country before. However, according to some experts, the dire situation in Gaza provides a legal basis for such an action.
The Commission announced that the proposal has been submitted for internal review and will be discussed and debated by the EU ambassadors.
The Commission also stated that the move responds to Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which makes respect for human rights a necessary condition for cooperation between the European Union and Israel.
The proposal to suspend Israel’s funding to the Horizon research program was widely approved by the member states during the extraordinary hybrid meeting of the College of EU Commissioners.
Read More: UK to Recognize Palestine in September If Israel Fails to Meet Conditions
In the proposal, the Commission highlighted that the situation in Gaza remains grave, with over “90% of households face severe water insecurity and malnutrition rates are rising sharply” … “Although Israel has announced daily humanitarian pauses and fulfilled some commitments regarding aid access, more is needed.”
This is the first practical step taken by the European Union against Israel in response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and was followed by weeks of deliberations and pressure by some European Union member states, such as Spain, to hold Israel accountable. However, some European states believe that suspending Israel from the Horizon program might “hamper the dialogue” process with Israel.
Israel’s actions in Gaza received global condemnation with more than 20 EU member states expressing “serious concerns” over the situation, and the US President, Donald Trump, demanding that Israel must do more to stop “real starvation.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the world’s leading international authority that maps the food crisis, said that the “worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in Gaza.”
The IPC also stated that humanitarian aid is largely insufficient in Gaza due to Israel’s “drastic actions” on aid shipments, and the lack of security for the international humanitarian organizations inside Gaza.
Read More: Israeli Rights Groups Accuse Government of Genocide in Gaza
However, unsurprisingly, Israel has blamed the food shortages on Hamas and the failure of food distribution by the UN, stating that more than 200 food trucks entered the enclave, which were distributed by the UN and other humanitarian organizations on Tuesday.
It is important to highlight that before the war, when people had not endured months of starvation and malnutrition, an average of 500 aid trucks a day entered Gaza.
According to the European Commission, “While Israel has announced a daily humanitarian pause in Gaza fighting and has met some of its commitments under the common understanding on humanitarian aid and access, the situation remains severe.”
If the proposal to partially suspend Israel’s funding is approved by the Commission, it would deny Israel access to one of the critical research areas within the Horizon Europe program, known as the European Innovation Council (EIC), which specializes in disruptive technologies. Under the program, Israel had been receiving a grant of around €200 million of the €900 million since 2021.
Javaria Khalid is a writer and researcher, who specializes in Pakistan's Foreign Policy Analysis, transatlantic geopolitics, and Pakistan’s relations with the European countries and the EU. She can be reached at javariakhalid011@outlook.com
