Brussels - Saba:
The European Commission has recommended limiting the Israeli entity's access to its flagship research funding program, following calls from EU member states to increase pressure on the entity to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and halt its crimes in the enclave.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Commission said the proposal comes in response to a review of "Israel's" compliance with the human rights clause in the agreement governing its relations with the European Union.
"While Israel has announced daily humanitarian pauses in the fighting in Gaza, the situation remains dire, with the humanitarian conditions continuing to deteriorate unacceptably in the enclave," the Commission added.
The Commission clarified that the proposal would affect the participation of "Israeli" entities in the EU’s European Innovation Council program, which targets startups and small businesses with cutting-edge innovations and emerging technologies—including those with potential dual-use applications, such as cybersecurity, drones, and artificial intelligence.
Last week, several EU countries stated that "Israel" is failing to meet its obligations under an agreement with the EU regarding increasing aid supplies to Gaza and requested the Commission to present concrete options on the table.
With American and European support, the Israeli enemy army has continued to commit genocidal crimes in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, resulting in the martyrdom of 59,921 Palestinian civilians, most of them children and women, and the injury of 145,233 others—as of today. These figures are not final, as thousands of victims remain trapped under rubble or in the streets, unreachable by rescue and medical teams.
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