German Left Party vows to resist Volkswagen plant's shift to arms production

Germany’s Left Party in Lower Saxony state vowed on Tuesday to resist Volkswagen’s plans to convert its Osnabruck car plant into a production site for Israeli weapons, warning that partnership with defense contractor Rafael sends a devastating political signal amid war crimes accusations against Israel.

Opposition vows political fight

Thorben Peters, co-chair of the Left Party in Lower Saxony, told Anadolu that the party would oppose the deal both politically and publicly. “We will stand against this development politically and publicly,” Peters said, demanding full transparency regarding the agreements between the state, Volkswagen, and Israeli investors.

The politician rejected Volkswagen’s assertion that converting the facility to arms production was necessary to preserve jobs. “Employees are being told they have to choose between unemployment and arms production. We do not accept that false alternative,” he said, adding that sound industrial policy creates civilian employment rather than making peace contingent on weapons orders.

Plant sale to state and Israeli investor

Volkswagen announced in early September that it was selling the Osnabruck facility to Lower Saxony state and Tel Aviv-based Aurelius Capital, with Rafael designated as the industrial anchor for manufacturing support components for the Iron Dome missile defense system. An earlier proposal had stalled in July when Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund — Volkswagen’s third-largest shareholder — blocked the initial terms, prompting a restructuring that removed the automaker from direct partnership with the Israeli state-owned firm.

Under the revised arrangement, Aurelius holds the majority stake while Lower Saxony takes a minority position, leaving Rafael as the operational partner rather than the buyer. Peters characterized this structure as “especially problematic” given that Rafael serves as a central supplier to the Israeli military, which faces serious accusations of war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip.

War crimes allegations and legal proceedings

The International Court of Justice is currently hearing South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, while the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza. According to figures from Gaza’s Health Ministry cited by the United Nations, more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, including over 32,000 women and children.

Peters warned that Lower Saxony should not enter economic partnerships with Israeli state arms manufacturers while these legal proceedings continue. “Anyone who binds themselves so closely, politically and economically, to a company that equips the Israeli armed forces also bears political responsibility for that,” he stated.

Peace groups cite ‘City of Peace’ heritage

Local activists have emphasized that the conversion contradicts Osnabruck’s historical identity as a “City of Peace,” a designation rooted in the 1648 Peace of Westphalia that ended the Thirty Years’ War and established foundations of modern international law. Action Outcry — Stop the Arms Trade, a leading local campaign group, has spearheaded resistance to the project.

Andreas Seifert, coordinator for Action Outcry, told Anadolu that his organization rejects the transformation of the civilian automotive facility into a defense manufacturing site. “We are also deeply concerned that the chosen partner for this project, the Israeli defense company Rafael, supplies weapons and military equipment for Israel’s war in Gaza,” Seifert said, noting that arms shipments to Israel violate Germany’s international obligations and domestic export restrictions.

Seifert also criticized the involvement of state funds in supporting the venture. “Given these considerations, partnering with an Israeli arms company — and supporting it with state funds — is simply unacceptable,” he said.