A Palestinian mother carries her sick 18-month-old son, who is displaying signs of acute malnutrition, inside their tent at the al-Shati Refugee Camp, west of Gaza City, on July 24. (Photo by AFP)
The European Union is preparing to partially cut the Israeli regime’s access to the bloc’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program, citing Tel Aviv’s failure to ease the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
EU insiders reported the development on Monday, saying the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, was about to pass a decision on the matter.
The bloc began dwelling on the decision to enact the suspension after the regime refused to honor a prior agreement to substantially boost the flow of food and medical aid to Palestinians in the coastal sliver.
It had compelled the regime to act on the agreement, given that Tel Aviv had all but choked off the flow of desperately needed aid into Gaza during its ongoing war of genocide on the territory.
The suspension targets Israeli start-ups involved in such technologies as cyberspace, drones, and artificial intelligence that could be used by the regime to target Palestinians.
Until now, EU officials, including Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, had resisted moving towards imposing punitive measures on the regime.
Observers cite opposition on the part of key Tel Aviv allies such as Germany, the UK, France, Austria, and Hungary as the reason behind the drawn-out procrastination.
EU member states are now set to discuss and possibly vote on the suspension as early as Tuesday as the above members reportedly stand ready to roundly reject the move.
Observers say, while unanimity is not required, such rejection could complicate the move.
They, however, also note that support from larger nations such as Spain and Italy could tip the scales.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof condemned the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic,” demanding “immediate, unfettered, safe access to humanitarian aid.” He warned that the Netherlands might escalate pressure, including through trade restrictions.
A source, meanwhile, addressed the so-called aid distribution points that the regime has set up across Gaza, where thousands of starving Palestinians swarm for meager foodstuff packages, while being constantly targeted with deadly Israeli fire.
The “distribution has been deadly,” the source said, referencing United Nations estimates that more than 1,000 people had been killed at the outposts.
