Germany's Dresden university sparks controversy over research project with Israeli arms firm

Students at Dresden University of Technology (TU Dresden) are protesting a research project with Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems after a university ethics panel voted against the cooperation, but the rectorate approved it anyway.

“For a measly €30,000 ($35,000), research is being done on weapons of murder,” the student group Socialist-Democratic Student Association Dresden (SDS) said in a statement.

The group opposes the cooperation because Elbit Systems’ Hermes 900 drones have been used in Gaza, where Israel’s brutal military campaign has killed thousands of civilians and has been described by many NGOs as genocide.

According to media reports, the project centers on the propulsion system of Israel’s Hermes 900 drone. The aircraft is considered suitable for medium-altitude operations, but for missions such as those reported in Gaza, the engine is said to be too heavy, causing unstable flight behavior and even crashes.

The student group demanded an end to the controversial project and the withdrawal of complaints filed against members of the university ethics panel after leaked documents sent to the media showed the rectorate had approved the project despite the panel’s objections.