EU funding for Israeli technology raises new concerns

Since the start of Israeli attacks on Gaza on October 7, 2023, the EU has allocated more than 238 million euros to Israeli institutions for research and innovation projects. These funds would have supported the development of AI technologies, used by Israel, to “locate and kill” civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Nozomi Takahashi, board member of the European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine, told Anadolu that she was aware of the accusations regarding the use of European funds to finance technologies targeting civilians.

Takahashi said the subject had been raised in letters to high-level EU officials, including former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

She discussed AI-based systems used by the Israeli military, such as “Habsora” (The Gospel), “Lavender” and “Where is Daddy?” (Where is Dad?). According to her, these systems serve “to identify, locate and eliminate targets in the context of the current genocide in Gaza.”

Stressing that these technologies are used indiscriminately against civilians, Takahashi said that “such extrajudicial killings are prohibited by international law. The scale and frequency of civilian casualties in Gaza, killed using these systems of ‘AI, are overwhelming.

Takahashi highlighted the European Union’s special focus on the development of AI, noting that Israeli research institutions are also participating in various EU-funded projects in this area.

She stressed that identifying the EU-funded projects behind these technologies used by the Israeli army is impossible due to the confidentiality and secrecy surrounding them. She added that “the high potential risks associated with such technologies in the hands of a government with a history of human rights violations should alert the international community.”