European Union Suspends Financial Support to Israel

The European Commission (EC) has announced today its decision to suspend aid to Israel, citing the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the reason.

In a statement released by the EC, it was noted that the ban does not pertain solely to civil society and assistance to the Yad Vashem memorial organization.

The statement highlighted that the decision specifically concerns annual allocations intended for 2025-2027, as well as ongoing projects under institutional cooperation with Israel and programs funded within the framework of the EU-Israel regional cooperation mechanism.

Brussels clarified that the European Union provides financial support to Israel under the “Global Europe” instrument for neighborhood, development, and international cooperation, which is part of the union's long-term budget for 2021-2027. Accordingly, Israel was to receive an average of 6 million euros annually from 2025 to 2027.

At the same time, the EU will halt the implementation of institutional cooperation projects, including partnership programs and projects conducted under the EU-Israel regional cooperation mechanism, which are estimated to be valued at around 14 million euros.

The corresponding proposal was submitted after a verification of compliance with Article 2 of the association agreement by Israel. It was found that the actions of the Israeli government constitute a violation of fundamental provisions regarding respect for human rights and democratic principles.

According to the European Commission, this grants the EU the right to unilaterally suspend the agreement. The identified violation pertains to the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip following Israeli military intervention, the blockade of humanitarian aid, the escalation of military operations, and the Israeli authorities' decision to advance settlement plans in the West Bank, which, according to the European Commission, further undermines the principle of coexistence of two states.