Ariel University Center
Ariel University CenterAriel University Center

The European Union (EU) is seeking to reassure Israelis who are concerned about the economic harm caused  by the EU's decision to forbid its member states from cooperating, transferring funds, or giving scholarships or research grants to bodies in Judea and Samaria, eastern Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights.

A senior delegation from the European Union will arrive in Israel early this week to examine ways of preventing damage to Israeli entities operating beyond the 1949 Armistice Lines. They will determine whether the academic institutions and other entities who have previously received European funding will continue to benefit by receiving these budgets, based on an earlier decision that once granted them scholarships and funds.

On the other hand, new ventures and academic institutions now seeking funds will not receive any support from the EU.

Following the decision to level the boycott in mid-July, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced that Israel will not accept impositions from political parties outside of Israel's borders. The border between Israel and a future PA Arab state will be determined exclusively in negotiations, he declared. 

The EU support for the "unrealistic" 1949 armistice line as a border will only make negotiations more difficult, he warned.

In addition, Israel sent a formal request to clarify the intentions of the EU and the expected consequences of the announcement, both for the Union and for Israel. This is in part due to the fact that Israel takes part in and supports significant research of European ventures.