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From Daily Star · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Public institutions across the European Union continue to sign contracts with Israeli companies, despite ongoing war crimes trials against Israel.
  • Data reveals billions of euros in contracts, with a significant increase in deals after the start of the conflict in Gaza.
  • Legal experts argue the EU's continued business dealings are legally untenable given international court rulings on Israel's occupation.

European Union member states are continuing to award lucrative contracts to Israeli companies involved in military technology and other sectors, even as Israel faces international scrutiny for alleged war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank. Data compiled by Statewatch and reported by Al Jazeera reveals that public institutions across the EU have signed contracts worth nearly 2.7 billion euros ($3.1 billion) with Israeli firms between January 2022 and July 2025.

Public institutions in European Union countries are signing profitable contracts with Israeli companies despite Israel’s long track record of war crimes in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank.

— Al JazeeraReporting on the findings of data collected by Statewatch.

Spain, a vocal critic of Israel's actions, has notably signed 14 contracts totaling almost 227 million euros ($257 million). A significant portion of this sum, 207 million euros ($235 million), comes from a contract between the Spanish Defense Ministry and Rafael for "aerial combat systems." Spanish police forces have also purchased equipment from Israeli company Marom Dolphin.

The data indicates a concerning trend: the number of contracts surged after Israel launched its war on Gaza. While 82 deals worth over 1.2 billion euros ($1.36 billion) were signed in the first 21 months (January 2022 to October 2023), the subsequent 21 months (October 2023 to July 2025) saw an increase to 112 contracts valued at 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion).

The EU’s permissive approach towards Israel was 'legally untenable.'

— Yussef Al TamimiAssistant professor at the Department of Legal Studies at the Central European University, commenting on the EU's dealings with Israel.

This continued engagement stands in stark contrast to proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which has found a "real and imminent risk" of harm to Palestinians and mandated states to prevent actions that could facilitate Israel's occupation. Yussef Al Tamimi, an assistant professor at the Central European University, described the EU's approach as "legally untenable," emphasizing that the ICJ's rulings create binding obligations for all member states under international law.

The ICJ 'set out unambiguous obligations for all states to take measures that eliminate, alleviate and rectify the illegal occupation of Palestine,' noting the court issued an opinion that is 'binding on all EU member states by virtue of these agreements and as a matter of customary international law.'

— Yussef Al TamimiAssistant professor at the Department of Legal Studies at the Central European University, explaining the implications of ICJ rulings.
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Originally published by Daily Star. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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