"The EU's EUR 59 million contracts with Israeli military companies are not moral and their legality is doubtful," the Euro-Mediterranean Network Observatory on Human Rights reported a few days ago.

The organization links the purchase of military equipment with the violation of human rights in the Palestinian people. Furthermore, the use of such devices to preserve the Mediterranean could endanger the lives of people crossing the sea in search of asylum. The Centre has asked the European Union to withdraw its contracts. Furthermore, it has called for people intercepted at sea not to return to Libya because, if they do, their lives are put at risk.

The EUR 59 million is part of a larger line of EUR 100 million, which the Frontex agency and the European Maritime Safety Agency agreed last year to purchase drones. The two Israeli companies that have obtained the majority of the budget are Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, IAI.

The organization has denounced that some of the models hired by drones have been used in the repression of the Gaza Strip in 2014. This shows that the European Union is investing money in equipment that has been tested against the Palestinian people, ensuring and promoting that the Israeli regime continues the experimental uses of these military technologies.

The Centre has also warned of an additional risk: Following the closure of the Sophia operation on 21 March, the new Irini operation aims to monitor the Mediterranean using this technology. As you have warned, this operation does not have a rescue protocol, so it will not be withdrawn. This means that, according to the figures of the Observatory, in 2019 the mortality rate of those who tried to cross the sea has already risen to 14%. Last year, the average was 2%.

The Observatory is concerned about the use of drones that do not form a rescue mechanism. Furthermore, these instruments should not comply with the Sea Law Convention which obliges vessels, including those involved in Operation Sophia, to provide assistance to all vessels in distress. The members of the Observatory believe that the change of boats by drones is a form of escape to circumvent legal commitments and deliver the rescue to the Libyan coast guard. This is consistent with the serious violations of human rights in detention centres in this African country.

The organisation has called on the European Union to remove the incentive for violations of Palestinian rights by refusing to buy the military equipment used in the occupied territories and by preventing the use of drones in the Mediterranean. They have warned that the use of drones does not mean the abandonment of ships at sea, but the immediate activation of rescue mechanisms. Finally, it has called on Europe to set up an independent monitoring committee to monitor Frontex’s practices, in a broader movement that ensures the agency’s transparency and accountability.

On Tuesday, the MEP of Podemos Idoia Villanueva Ruiz (GUE/NGL Group) tabled a question to the European Commission on the basis of the Centre's complaints. The European Union (EU) has asked to clarify whether it will replace ships with drones to circumvent the rescue obligation. He has also asked for clarification as to whether there is coordination with Libya and with the context of human rights violations. Finally, it has questioned the possibility of earmarking funds for this proven equipment in the occupied territories, rather than for the defence of the rights of the Palestinian people.