Finland’s opposition parties are fiercely attacking the government after a report by broadcaster Yle revealed that the government signed an extension of its military cooperation with Israel through 2034.

The agreement, which Finland initiated efforts to extend as early as the beginning of 2024, covers research, development and procurement of defense systems and includes the establishment of a joint coordination team that will meet at least once a year.

As part of the two countries’ military cooperation, Finland is purchasing Israel’s David’s Sling air defense system in a deal worth about 317 million euros.

Green League chair Sofia Virta called the government’s policy a historic disgrace, accusing it of deepening ties with Israel instead of applying pressure on it, and linked the move to the decision not to renew funding for UNRWA.

The development comes after it was reported over the weekend that Finland is ending its financial support for UNRWA, the aid organization for Palestinian refugees.

The Left Alliance announced that it would submit a parliamentary question to examine the circumstances surrounding the signing of the agreement and Finland’s arms trade policy, with party chair Minja Koskela criticizing the silence surrounding its approval.

Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen rejected the criticism, explaining that the deal with Israel is a routine agreement of the kind Finland has with 40 countries and is intended to meet Finland’s defense needs and support the implementation of existing air-defense and procurement projects.

He said procurement decisions are based on military capabilities, costs and suitability, a position echoed by Chief of Defence Janne Jaakkola, who noted that Israel’s David’s Sling system, whose purchase was approved in 2023 for more than €300 million, had distinguished itself with its performance.

Finland, which shares a border with Russia, has significantly increased its military procurement since Russia invaded Ukraine, amid fears of a similar invasion of its own territory.

Finland has been a major customer of Israel’s defense industries for years, buying advanced weapons systems, including tank ammunition and missiles. According to a Defense Ministry source, Finland currently purchases hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of equipment from Israeli defense industries each year, with that figure continuing to rise.

The largest-ever delegation of Israeli defense companies visited Helsinki in May 2026 and participated in a joint defense industry seminar and meetings with senior officials from the Finnish military and Defense Ministry, Ynet reported.

“We have a wonderful relationship with the Finnish Defense Ministry and many joint projects,” an Israeli Defense Ministry official said at the time. “We reviewed industrial projects. The Finnish military has 23 projects underway with Israel’s defense industry. For them, the meeting was not just about procurement, but also about learning from Israel’s military approach and hearing about future projects. Finland’s deputy chief of staff and head of procurement gave us a briefing on their equipment and procurement needs.”

SIBAT, the International Defense Cooperation Directorate at Israel’s Defense Ministry, views Finland as a strategic target beyond direct deals. “We see Finland as a potential production hub built to NATO standards, which would allow us to compete for NATO tenders and establish a manufacturing foothold in the Nordic countries,” the official added.

For Israel, Finland, which joined NATO in 2023, is a gateway to Europe as a whole.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)