The Ivory Tower and the Iron Sword: An Investigation into Dutch Academia's Technological Contributions to Israel's War in Gaza

by Gemini 2.5 Pro, Deep Research. Warning, LLMs may hallucinate!

Introduction: The Academic-Military Nexus in the Shadow of War

Across the campuses of the Netherlands, a profound ethical crisis is unfolding. The tent camps erected by student activists at institutions like Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) are not isolated incidents of protest; they are the visible manifestation of a deep-seated conflict within the heart of Dutch academia.¹ These demonstrations question the long-standing and lucrative research collaborations between Dutch universities and Israeli institutions, bringing to the forefront a critical examination of academic complicity in the face of Israel's devastating military campaign in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.

This report investigates the central tension of this crisis: the clash between the stated ideals of academic freedom and the pursuit of dialogue through "building bridges" ¹, and the grave accusations of institutional support for what the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has determined to be a "plausible" case of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.² The debate is no longer abstract. It is a concrete confrontation with the reality that knowledge produced in Dutch lecture halls and laboratories may be contributing to the technological capacity of a military force accused of committing the most serious crimes under international law.

Through a detailed examination of publicly available data, this investigation argues that via the European Union's Horizon Europe funding program, at least nine Dutch universities are actively engaged in research and development that directly benefits the technological capabilities of the Israeli military and its integrated defense industry. Despite official stipulations requiring that all funded research serve an "exclusively civil" purpose, a systemic and acknowledged lack of oversight, combined with the inherently dual-use nature of the technologies being developed, renders these collaborations a form of material support for military operations. This report will map the financial and institutional architecture of this support, analyze specific technological collaborations in aerospace, advanced semiconductors, and counter-terrorism, and conclude with a rigorous ethical and legal assessment of institutional complicity in the context of the ongoing war and the proceedings at the ICJ.

Chapter 1: The Horizon Europe Pipeline – Europe's Blank Cheque for Israeli Military-Tech

The European Union's Horizon Europe program, with a budget of €95.5 billion for 2021-2027, stands as one of the world's largest public funding instruments for research and innovation. It is designed to foster scientific excellence and bolster the EU's global competitiveness. However, a closer examination reveals that this program also functions as a critical financial and technological pipeline for non-member states, with Israel being one of its most privileged and successful beneficiaries. This relationship, particularly in the realm of technologies with military applications, exposes a fundamental contradiction within the program's stated ethical framework.

Israel's Privileged Access

Despite not being a member of the European Union, Israel has been an associated country in the EU's research framework programs for decades. This status grants its universities, research institutes, and corporations the ability to compete for funding on nearly equal footing with their EU counterparts. The results of this integration are stark. Since 2007, Israeli entities have secured over €3 billion from Horizon Europe and its predecessors.¹

Israel's success within the program is not merely a matter of participation but of exceptional performance. Nearly 20% of Israeli applications for Horizon funding are approved, a success rate that surpasses many EU member states, including the Netherlands (16%), France (15%), and Germany (15%).¹ This high rate of success underscores the deep integration of Israel's advanced research sector—a sector inextricably linked with its defense industry—into the European academic and innovation ecosystem. Of the non-EU countries participating in the program, Israel's research projects also fall most frequently into the category of dual-use technology.¹

The "Dual-Use" Fig Leaf

The ethical foundation of the Horizon Europe program rests on a crucial stipulation: since 2020, funding is officially restricted to projects with an exclusively civilian purpose.¹ This rule is intended to prevent European public funds from being used to develop military technology. However, an investigation into the program's governance and the nature of the funded projects reveals this safeguard to be largely a matter of administrative formality—a fig leaf that conceals a systemic failure of oversight.

The European Commission, the body responsible for administering Horizon grants, has admitted that it does not monitor or verify how the technology or products developed within a project are used after its conclusion.¹ A spokesperson for the Commission stated that "military inzet is juridisch gezien niet uitgesloten onder de huidige regels" ("military use is not legally excluded under the current rules") and that the Commission does not track whether a technology is ultimately deployed for defense purposes.¹ The ethical check is a paper-based procedure, where a simple checkmark in a box labeled "alleen voor civiele doelen" ("only for civil purposes") is deemed sufficient.¹

This lack of enforcement is not a secret to the participating institutions. A spokesperson for TU Delft candidly stated that while EU projects stipulate that knowledge may only be used for civil goals, the university "never can guarantee or control if that also actually does not happen".¹ Similarly, TU Eindhoven acknowledged that "the distinction between civil and military applications is sometimes hardly to make," especially in fundamental research.¹ The "civilian use" clause, therefore, operates not as a robust ethical barrier but as a mechanism of plausible deniability for all parties. It allows the EU to maintain a public commitment to human rights while simultaneously fostering strategic technological ties with Israel's powerful defense sector. This is not an oversight but a structural feature of the program, enabling it to pursue dual, and often contradictory, political objectives.

Active EU Facilitation Post-October 7

The European Union's role is not that of a passive or unwitting bystander. Following the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, the EU demonstrated its active political commitment to its Israeli partners. Just five days after the attacks, as Israel's military response in Gaza began to escalate, the Israeli embassy in Brussels formally requested that the Commission postpone upcoming subsidy deadlines for Horizon projects.¹

The Commission obliged. Six days later, it issued a press release announcing it would accommodate "partnerorganisaties in de regio" ("partner organizations in the region") by shifting the deadlines for four new Horizon grant applications, worth over €15 million, by one to three weeks. The official reason given was "naar aanleiding van de terroristische aanslagen van Hamas in Israël" ("in response to the terrorist attacks by Hamas in Israel").¹ This decision, made at a time when the devastating nature of Israel's military campaign was becoming clear, signaled a clear political solidarity that superseded any emerging ethical concerns about funding institutions in a state embarking on a major military offensive. Since that date, Dutch universities have commenced 57 new Horizon projects involving Israeli partners, with twelve of the 28 identified dual-use projects starting after October 7, 2023.¹

The immense financial stakes further entrench these collaborations, creating a powerful systemic lock-in. The 28 identified Dutch-Israeli dual-use projects alone have received over €356 million in EU subsidies.¹ For a university or research group, unilaterally withdrawing from such a project due to ethical concerns is not a simple matter. It invites severe financial and legal consequences, including responsibility for the loss of subsidies often amounting to hundreds of thousands of euros and the risk of being sued for breach of contract.¹ This transforms a profound ethical dilemma into a pragmatic financial calculation, effectively paralyzing institutional will and ensuring the continuation of the technological pipeline, regardless of events on the ground.

Chapter 2: Case Studies in Complicity – From Dutch Labs to the Gaza Kill Chain

While the institutional framework of the Horizon Europe program enables these collaborations, a granular analysis of specific projects is necessary to understand their direct relevance to Israel's military capabilities. The following case studies examine key technological areas—aerospace, advanced semiconductors, and counter-terrorism—profiling the Dutch and Israeli partners and connecting the research to its application in the ongoing war in Gaza.

The Future of Aerial Warfare: TU Delft, IAI, and the Next Generation of Military Drones

At the forefront of Dutch-Israeli collaboration are two major aerospace projects, 'Herwingt' and 'Hera', both funded under the EU's "Clean Aviation" initiative.⁹ These projects bring together TU Delft, one of Europe's leading technical universities, and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Israel's state-owned defense and aerospace conglomerate.

The stated goal of these projects is to develop technologies for a new generation of environmentally friendly regional aircraft, focusing on hybrid-electric propulsion, innovative wing designs for drag reduction, lighter materials, and integrated systems for structural health monitoring.⁹ While laudable on paper, these technological advancements are precisely what is required to enhance the performance of military Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Increased fuel efficiency translates to longer endurance; lighter materials allow for heavier payloads of sensors or munitions; and advanced aerodynamics improve range and stealth capabilities.¹² As military expert Ko Colijn notes, "potentieel kan de technologie ook in militaire transportvliegtuigen en drones worden ingezet" ("potentially, the technology can also be used in military transport aircraft and drones").¹

The involvement of Israel Aerospace Industries removes any ambiguity about this dual-use potential. IAI is not a civilian aviation company that dabbles in defense; it is a cornerstone of the Israeli military-industrial complex.¹⁴ IAI is the manufacturer of the

Heron TP (Eitan) drone, a strategic Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV that is a workhorse of the Israeli Air Force.¹⁵ The Heron TP is used for long-range intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions, and it can be armed for strike operations.¹⁷

The connection to the war in Gaza is direct and documented. IAI's own CEO has stated that Heron drones have "played a pivotal role" in Israel's attacks on Gaza since October 7, including in strike operations.¹⁸ IAI boasts of its uniquely integrated partnership with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), with company personnel embedded on military bases to provide real-time support for its systems during combat.¹⁹ Reports confirm that Heron drones have been operating constantly over Gaza, providing surveillance and intelligence to ground forces and directing strikes.²⁰ IAI has explicitly stated its intention to apply the technology developed in partnership with TU Delft "zo snel als mogelijk" ("as quickly as possible").¹

The framing of these projects around sustainability and emissions reduction effectively serves as "greenwashing" for military-applicable research and development. By packaging the development of next-generation drone technology as a "clean aviation" initiative, IAI gains access to a vast pool of European public funds and the world-class expertise of institutions like TU Delft—resources that would be unavailable for explicitly military projects. This allows for the public funding of advancements for a weapons platform actively deployed in a conflict zone under the guise of environmentalism.

The Brains of the Battlefield: Advanced Semiconductors and AI-Powered Targeting

Beneath the visible hardware of warfare lies an even more critical component: the advanced microchips that power modern military systems. Two Horizon Europe projects, '14ACMOS' and '10ACe', place Dutch universities at the cutting edge of this foundational technology, in partnership with a consortium of Israeli high-tech firms. The University of Twente is a participant in '14ACMOS', which aims to develop 1.4nm semiconductor technology.⁶ TU Eindhoven is involved in research with Mellanox (now part of NVIDIA) on quantum technology for autonomous vehicles ¹, and the '10ACe' project, focused on 10 Angstrom (1nm) chip technology, involves multiple Israeli firms including Applied Materials Israel, Bruker Technologies, and Nova Ltd.⁷

A spokesperson for the University of Twente has conceded that this research into chip technology is "strikt genomen inderdaad dual use-technologie" ("strictly speaking indeed dual-use technology").¹ This is an understatement. Advanced semiconductors are indispensable for virtually every aspect of modern warfare, including high-performance computing for weapons modeling, advanced sensors for surveillance, secure communications, electronic warfare, and, most critically, Artificial Intelligence (AI).²⁴

The relevance of this research to the war in Gaza is profound. The IDF has deployed several AI-driven targeting systems that have dramatically accelerated the pace and scale of its bombing campaign. One system, known as "The Gospel" ("Habsora"), reportedly uses AI to process vast amounts of surveillance data to generate recommendations for structural targets, such as buildings.²⁷ Another system,

"Lavender," has been used to identify tens of thousands of Palestinians—primarily low-ranking members of Hamas's military wing—as potential human targets.²⁹ According to reports, strikes on these AI-generated targets, often in their family homes, were carried out with minimal human verification and pre-authorized allowances for significant civilian casualties.²⁷

These AI systems are computationally intensive and depend entirely on the processing power of advanced microchips. The research being conducted at TU Twente and with partners of TU Eindhoven is aimed at creating precisely these next-generation semiconductors. While a Dutch scientist working on photolithography may not be designing a weapon, they are engineering the essential "neurons" for the AI brain that guides it. This creates a distributed chain of causality that allows for a greater degree of ethical and psychological distance for the individuals involved. The work can be justified as fundamental science for civilian applications like smartphones and data centers, yet its most immediate and powerful application lies in the military and intelligence domains that are the primary drivers of this technological frontier. The abstraction of the research obscures, but does not erase, its contribution to the digital architecture of modern warfare.

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