A European Union proposal to suspend Israel from a research funding program for startups failed to garner the necessary support for passage Tuesday after Germany and Italy balked.

The proposal, announced Monday, would partially suspend Israel’s participation in the bloc’s flagship Horizon research funding program. It came in response to calls from EU countries to push Israel to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and is one of several avenues European countries are pursuing to pressure Israel in the face of reports of starvation in the enclave.

Multiple EU countries said last week that Israel was not living up to its commitments under an agreement with the European Union on increasing aid supplies to Gaza. They asked the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, to put concrete options on the table.

“While Israel has announced a daily humanitarian pause in Gaza fighting and has met some of its commitments under the common understanding on humanitarian aid and access, the situation remains severe,” the European Commission said in a statement announcing the proposal.

The proposal would remove Israel from the Accelerator of the European Innovation Council, a pool of funding targeted at startups involved in fields including drone technology,........

© The Times of Israel