Qatar tried to kill a major deal between Volkswagen and Israel’s Rafael.

Qatar tried to kill a major deal between Volkswagen and Israel’s Rafael.

Its sovereign wealth fund, which holds 17% of VW’s voting rights, opposed plans to produce components for Iron Dome at the Osnabrück plant.

Now Germany may have found a way around it: Lower Saxony is considering investing at least €200 million and taking control of parts of the plant, allowing it to deal directly with Rafael bypassing Qatar and potentially saving 2,300 German jobs.

For years, Qatar helped bankroll Hamas-ruled Gaza while presenting itself to the world as a mediator. Now it tried to use its economic power in Europe to obstruct production connected to a system that protects Israeli civilians from terrorist rockets.

This time, Germany found a way around Qatar.

Source: BILD, Bloomberg and Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung.