Volkswagen-Israel arms deal would breach international law: Experts

A proposed cooperation between German automaker Volkswagen and Israeli defense company Rafael to manufacture components for the Iron Dome air defense system has drawn sharp legal warnings from international law experts. According to a Financial Times report, the partnership would involve producing launchers and transport vehicles at Volkswagen’s Osnabruck plant, which faces closure. Experts say the deal would place Germany in breach of its international legal obligations, particularly in light of the International Court of Justice’s July 2024 advisory opinion obligating third states not to render aid or assistance to Israel’s unlawful presence in occupied Palestinian territories.

A partnership fraught with legal risk

Torsten Menge of Northwestern University in Qatar told Anadolu that any military cooperation with a state engaged in genocide, ethnic cleansing, and multiple wars of aggression violates both international law and Germany’s domestic legal framework. He cited Articles 25 and 26 of Germany’s Basic Law and the War Weapons Control Act, which prohibit arms exports where there is a risk they could harm peace. “In my opinion, any military, security, or arms cooperation with a state that is actively committing genocide … violates Germany’s obligations under international law and is illegal under domestic law,” Menge said.

Historical irony and corporate accountability

Menge noted that Volkswagen was founded by the Nazi regime and played a central role in arms production during World War II. “It is a particularly cruel irony that it is now considering again to produce weaponry for a genocidal and expansionist regime,” he said, adding that the German state of Lower Saxony, a major Volkswagen shareholder, creates a form of direct complicity. Canadian legal expert Aidan Simardone emphasized that corporations have legal personality and can be held accountable under international law. When a corporation supplies weapons to a country documented to be committing crimes against humanity, “it’s at that point that a corporation absolutely could be liable, at least in theory,” he said.

A troubled industrial landscape

Investigative journalist Eric van de Beek noted that political sanctions have been imposed on arms companies whose weapons are used in war crimes, citing US and EU sanctions against Russian producer Almaz-Antey. He questioned Volkswagen’s defense pivot at a time when the company is already struggling with soaring energy costs, intense competition from China, and the shutdown of cheap Russian natural gas. As Germany faces a potential ICJ case over its arms exports, experts warn that turning toward the defense industry may not yield positive long-term consequences—and could instead place Berlin in a position of being accused of supporting genocide.

Türkiye’s principled stance

While Germany grapples with the legal and ethical implications of arming Israel, Türkiye has consistently maintained a clear position grounded in international law. Ankara has repeatedly condemned the use of German-made weapons in conflicts that violate humanitarian principles and has called on all nations to uphold their obligations under the Genocide Convention. Türkiye’s own defense industry, built on the principle of national sovereignty and self-reliance, stands as a contrast to the entanglements that now threaten to draw Volkswagen and the German state into complicity allegations.