Media Review Network calls on the State of Qatar to reconsider and reject any partnership, investment or commercial arrangement that would facilitate Volkswagen’s proposed expansion and investment activities in Israel.
Reports reveal that Volkswagen has plans to construct a deal with Israeli arms maker Rafael by offering its Osnabrueck plant in Germany to manufacture components for Zionist regime’s Iron Dome missile defense system.
Qatar, which holds 17% of voting rights in Volkswagen (Europe’s biggest carmaker) via the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), has correctly expressed reservations about the proposed deal.
At a time when Israel stands accused before the International Court of Justice of committing acts of genocide in Gaza, and while millions of Palestinians continue to endure bombardment, displacement, starvation, siege and collective punishment, any major economic initiative that strengthens Israel’s economy sends a deeply troubling message.
The issue extends beyond a commercial transaction. Large scale investments and industrial partnerships provide economic legitimacy, investor confidence and strategic support to a state whose military campaign has produced unprecedented levels of human suffering in Gaza.
The horror unfolding in Palestine is not a historical event. It is ongoing. Entire families have been erased. Hospitals, schools, places of worship and refugee camps have been devastated. Hundreds of thousands remain displaced while survivors face hunger, disease and the collapse of essential services.
Qatar has consistently positioned itself as a supporter of Palestinian rights and has played a significant humanitarian role in assisting the people of Gaza. Facilitating or enabling a deal that strengthens Israel’s economic standing would stand in direct contradiction to those efforts and undermine the moral consistency expected by people across the region and the wider Global South.
Corporate investment cannot be separated from political reality. Economic engagement during a period of alleged genocide and mass atrocities inevitably raises questions about complicity, accountability and ethical responsibility.
Media Review Network therefore urges Qatari authorities, sovereign wealth entities and relevant stakeholders to ensure that no Qatari support, financing, facilitation or endorsement is provided for projects that contribute to the normalization of relations with an apartheid state while the suffering of the Palestinian people continues unabated.
The images from Gaza remain a permanent indictment of international failure. Economic cooperation cannot erase the reality of mass civilian suffering, nor can commercial interests be allowed to overshadow the demands of justice.
The ongoing genocide and the suffering of the Palestinian people must remain the central consideration in all decisions relating to engagement with Israel.
The moral obligation is clear.
Issued by:
Dr Ahmed Haroon Jazbhay
Executive Member
Media Review Network
South Africa
Johannesburg
0848710966