ANO, the Institute for Politics and Society, L.P.P. Holding a.s. and Elbit Systems

On the 5th of February of 2024, the Institute for Politics and Society (hereinafter IPS), a think tank of the ANO movement, the populist party forming the current Czech government with Motoristé sobě and SPD, populist right wing parties, organized an international forum (The Czech-Israeli Forum). The forum was focused on supporting technological development and innovation, and its declared goal was "to support technological exchange and the exchange of expertise between the Czech Republic and Israel." ^[1]

The event was attended by Karel Havlíček, former and current Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade, Israeli Ambassador Anna Azari, Miroslav Žižka, Executive Director of L.P.P. Holding a.s. (hereinafter L.P.P.), State Security Advisor Tomáš Pojar, Omer Frank, Marketing and Business Development Director at Elbit Systems Ltd., and others. The full list of attendees is available in the event materials and linked video. ^[2]

The connection between the Institute for Politics and Society and ANO

Due to IPS's connection to ANO, the think tank functions as its political institution. ^[3] It was founded in 2014 and its leadership includes figures associated with ANO, such as the aforementioned Karel Havlíček, Vice-Chairman of the IPS Board of Directors. The organization provides thought background for ANO's policies and, as Andrej Babiš states, aims "to create long-term strategies [for the movement] and formulate what the Czech national interests are".

The Czech-Israeli Forum, organized by IPS together with L.P.P. Holding and Elbit Systems, can thus be seen as an acknowledgment of the ties between the companies and ANO. Their logos appeared on much of the promotional material, and organizers made no effort to hide these links. ^[1]

However, this connection, and the stance of ANO, or at least its consistency in the party, is called into question by the conflict between former Deputy Minister of Defense Jana Černochová (ODS) and ANO leader Andrej Babiš. Babiš highlighted a possible conflict of interest regarding the purchase of army vehicles from L.P.P. without a public tender and hinted at ties between L.P.P. and government members. Černochová argued that the purchase took place in 2021 under Babiš's government, revealing inconsistency and potential lack of transparency within ANO. ^[4]

Havlíček, state subsidies for L.P.P. Holding, and relationships deeper than just one forum

This case of government support for L.P.P. is not isolated. The fact that Karel Havlíček appeared as a speaker at the IPS forum is significant because his ministry previously decided on several subsidies for L.P.P. Holding, for example in 2020 and 2021. ^[5]

This points to a possible conflict of interest between ANO's policies and private companies operating in military technology, concealed behind rhetoric about "innovation," "technological development," and the "startup nation" mentality. The Czech-Israeli Forum then exemplifies how political parties indirectly legitimize the agenda of Israeli arms manufacturers.

Currently, the company is drawing subsidies from the same ministry, granted under a government led by the SPOLU coalition, for developing AI-controlled military drones. ^[6] This project received 11.062 million CZK in public subsidies from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, demonstrating support for this company by multiple governments. ^[7]

While unmanned warfare has become a decisive factor in the war in Ukraine, the manufacturer gives no guarantee that such drones are exclusively used to defend Ukraine. There has been proven affiliation with Russia and Israel through Elbit systems, which therefore blurs the clear lines of the narrative of solidarity with Ukraine.

Another similar conference took place in the Míčovna of Prague Castle. ^[8] One of the moderators was Martina Tauberová, who is not only Vice President for International Relations and Unmanned Systems at the Association of the Aerospace Industry, but also Director of External Relations at L.P.P. Holding. ^[9] In conclusion, such connections between high-level politics and Israeli-linked arms manufacturers are not isolated and are not limited to ANO representatives.