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German activists vow to intensify campaign against Volkswagen’s potential deal with Israeli defense firm

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Volkswagen plant in Osnabrück, Germany. [Photo/AA]

As Volkswagen explores converting one of its German factories from civilian vehicle production to manufacturing components for an Israeli missile defense system, local peace activists are stepping up efforts to stop the move, Anadolu reports.

The campaign comes amid reports that Volkswagen is in discussions with Israel’s state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems about repurposing its Osnabruck plant after passenger car production ends in 2027.

The site could manufacture components for Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system, including launchers, transport vehicles and power generators, according to the Financial Times. Volkswagen has not confirmed any agreement and says no decision has been made on the plant’s future.

Even without a confirmed agreement, Osnabruck Peace Initiative (OFRI) said it plans to intensify its grassroots campaign to stop the deal, organizing rallies, public events and demonstrations while working with local groups to build support for keeping the factory focused on civilian production.

“We’re working with various coalition partners to build support in the city for the civilian use of the factory, and we’re explaining why we don’t approve of arms production,” OFRI spokesperson Marie Dominique Guyard told Anadolu.

She said the group’s biggest challenge is convincing people that expanding arms production undermines rather than strengthens security.

“We are in favor of peaceful conflict resolution, diplomacy, ending conflicts through diplomacy, and respect for international law – and attracting arms companies to the city is the exact opposite of that,” Guyard said.

She argued that Rafael’s reported involvement makes the proposal particularly controversial.

“Israel is not known for its respect for international law,” she said. “The establishment of an Israeli state-owned company is, in effect, support for Israel’s wars.”

Guyard also criticized reports that public funds could support the project.

A call for worker resistance

Prominent German peace activist Reiner Braun echoed those concerns, calling the reported proposal “criminal.”

“Such a deal must be rejected outright,” he told Anadolu. “Of course, if Volkswagen, an industrial company, manufactures a component for Rafael, it is complicit in the policy of genocide and cannot absolve itself of that responsibility.”

“They know what they are doing, and they do it deliberately because they believe they can make more short-term profits. It is immoral, unethical, and one could actually say it is a criminal deal.”

READ: German upper house advances bill to criminalize ‘denying Israel’s right to exist’

Braun urged Volkswagen employees to oppose any move toward military production.

”The most important thing is resistance within the plant itself,” he said. “All employees at all Volkswagen plants must raise their voices and say, ‘We do not want to participate in the development of weapons of genocide.’”

He said Germany’s peace movement would continue supporting workers who oppose the reported plans.

Where the talks stand

Volkswagen has not confirmed reports that it is negotiating with Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defence Systems over defense production at its Osnabruck plant.

A company spokesperson previously told Anadolu that Volkswagen is evaluating options for the factory after passenger car production ends in 2027 and remains in discussions with various market participants.

“There are currently no concrete decisions or conclusions regarding the future direction of the site,” the spokesperson said. “The production of weapons by Volkswagen AG remains ruled out for the future, and we do not engage in speculation regarding further plans for the Osnabruck site.”

Since then, media reports have offered conflicting accounts of the future of the proposed deal.

Last month, German newspaper Bild reported that Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, Volkswagen’s third-largest shareholder with a 17% stake, had blocked management’s proposal to partner with Rafael to manufacture missile components and military vehicles at the Osnabruck plant.

However, German business magazine WirtschaftsWoche later reported that negotiations were continuing despite Qatar’s reported objections.

The magazine said the head of the works council at the Osnabruck plant, which employs about 2,400 people, had urged the German state of Lower Saxony – Volkswagen’s second-largest shareholder – to acquire a majority stake in the factory itself, a move that could allow the Rafael partnership to proceed.

The reported negotiations come as Volkswagen undergoes a broad restructuring program amid mounting competition from Chinese automakers and slower-than-expected growth in the electric vehicle market.

Rafael, meanwhile, has been expanding its European footprint as governments across the continent boost defense spending and procurement following the war in Ukraine.

READ: Germany rules out sanctions against Israel despite West Bank concerns

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Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingGerman activists vow to intensify campaign against Volkswagen’s potential deal with Israeli defense firm

UK government rejects calls to recognise Gaza genocide despite UN findings

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People stage a pro-Palestinian demonstration and call on Labour Party leader Andy Burnham, who is preparing to take office as prime minister, to impose comprehensive sanctions on Israel, in London, United Kingdom on July 18, 2026. [Raşid Necati Aslım – Anadolu Agency

Britain’s new government has rejected calls from 80 MPs and peers to recognise Israel’s genocide in Gaza, impose a full arms embargo and introduce comprehensive sanctions against the occupation state.

The decision has intensified criticism of Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, whose first statements in office raised expectations of a break with the policies of former Prime Minister Keir Starmer but have so far produced little substantive change.

In a cross-party letter led by Labour MP Kim Johnson, members of the House of Commons and House of Lords urged Burnham to recognise the findings of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, which concluded that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.


The parliamentarians called on the government to “fundamentally change its position” by supporting Palestinian rights and taking steps to prevent further Israeli violations of international law.

They also urged ministers to implement the International Court of Justice’s ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation, impose comprehensive sanctions, introduce a complete arms embargo and prohibit trade in goods and services linked to illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. 

However, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office declined to endorse any of the demands.

The rejection follows criticism of Miliband’s first statement as foreign secretary, in which he referred explicitly to “Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine” but described Israel’s assault on Gaza only as “conflict in the Middle East”.

British governments and senior ministers have repeatedly made legal and political judgements about Russia’s conduct without waiting for a final international court ruling. The UK described Russia’s invasion as illegal from its outset and accused Russian forces of committing war crimes.

In September 2025, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. It found that Israeli authorities were responsible for four of the five genocidal acts identified in the 1948 Genocide Convention and urged all states to fulfil their legal obligations to prevent and punish the crime. 

In June 2026, the Commission reported that Israeli authorities and forces continued to commit genocide and other atrocity crimes, including through the deliberate targeting of Palestinian children. 

The UN findings are part of a much broader body of expert assessments.

READ: UK accused of branding Gaza children security threat while blocking family re-unification

Amnesty International concluded in December 2024 that Israel had committed and was continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem reached the same conclusion in its July 2025 report, Our Genocide. The International Association of Genocide Scholars later declared that Israel’s policies and actions met the legal definition of genocide under the Genocide Convention. 

Despite these findings, the British government has maintained that only a court can make a genocide determination.

During a House of Lords debate following the UN Commission’s September 2025 report, ministers insisted that the government would not describe Israel’s actions as genocide until a competent national or international court had ruled on the issue.

Burnham had sought to distance himself from Starmer’s record before entering Downing Street. He acknowledged that Labour “got it wrong” in its initial response to Gaza and admitted that Britain had been too slow to call for a ceasefire.

However, he stopped short of recognising genocide, arguing that the matter should be left to international courts. Green Party deputy leader Mothin Ali accused Burnham of hiding behind the courts when discussing Israel while showing no similar hesitation in condemning Russia.

Ali warned that the duty under the Genocide Convention is to prevent genocide rather than wait until the destruction has been completed and formally adjudicated. Recognising the evidence, he argued, would also raise questions about Britain’s arms exports, surveillance cooperation and wider support for Israel.

READ: Israeli rights watchdogs say Israel committing genocide in Gaza

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Continue ReadingUK government rejects calls to recognise Gaza genocide despite UN findings

Germany criticizes Israel over West Bank, stops short of backing tougher EU measures

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German Foreign Minister Johann David Wadephul gives a speech in Berlin, Germany, on May 18, 2026. [Murat Gök – Anadolu Agency]

Germany on Friday criticized Israel’s continued expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank but stopped short of backing calls from EU partners for tougher measures, including a trade ban on goods from these settlements, Anadolu reports.

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told a news conference in Berlin that Germany’s long-held position on illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories remains unchanged, and that it continues to remind Israel of its obligations under international law.

“All German governments to date — and we ourselves — have consistently issued statements to this effect,” Wadephul said, adding that he reiterated Germany’s expectations during his visit to Israel on Tuesday, when he discussed the latest developments with his Israeli counterpart.

“International law is the guiding principle here, and there must be no unilateral de facto annexation,” he said. “In particular, any form of settler violence is unacceptable. We expect the Israeli government to take decisive action against it.” He added that he had received assurances on the matter from his Israeli counterpart.

Wadephul stopped short of saying whether Germany would back proposals to ban or restrict imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank at Monday’s meeting of EU foreign ministers. Instead, he stressed the need to keep dialogue channels open with Israel.

READ: Situation worsening in West Bank, warn Italy, UK, France, Germany

“We have previously made decisions to impose sanctions on radical settler organizations prone to violence. We are ready to review the situation again at any time,” he said.

Wadephul argued that the immediate priority should be fostering conditions for progress on other urgent fronts.

“Overall, we must now foster a climate that guarantees, firstly, the success of the fruitful talks Israel is holding with Lebanon aimed at reaching an agreement. That is of historic importance,” he said. “And secondly, it is crucial that we finally make progress regarding the Gaza Strip. A solution there has been pending for far too long.”

He reiterated that Israel should not impose restrictions on humanitarian access to Gaza and must allow more aid into the Palestinian territory. He also called for accelerating efforts to dismantle Hamas’s power structure.

“We must finally reach a point where responsibility for the Gaza Strip is gradually handed over to the Palestinian administration that is to be formed,” Wadephul said. “I believe we should focus on these questions now. And that will also be my key contribution at the EU foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday.”

READ: Report exposes pro-Israel network pushing Germany to defund UNRWA

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingGermany criticizes Israel over West Bank, stops short of backing tougher EU measures

UK MPs urge sanctions on Netanyahu and Israeli justice minister over torture of Palestinians

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The British Union flag on the Houses of Parliament in London, UK, on Friday, July 5, 2024. [Photographer: Jose Sarmento Matos/Bloomberg via Getty Images]

Dozens of British parliamentarians have urged the UK government to impose sanctions on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his justice minister, Yariv Levin, over the “systematic and well-documented torture” of Palestinian civilians in Israeli detention.

According to Sky News, 71 cross-party MPs and peers signed a letter to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper calling on Britain to “help end this impunity” by targeting Netanyahu and Levin, who also serves as deputy prime minister, interior minister and religious services minister. 

The letter, led by Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan, argues that responsibility for the alleged abuse of Palestinian detainees “lies with the government of Israel, including Prime Minister Netanyahu”. It follows the UK’s decision last year to sanction Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich over their extremist comments and conduct towards Palestinians. 

The parliamentarians said those measures “remain welcome” but have failed to change Israel’s treatment of Palestinian detainees. Since then, they warned, the situation has “escalated, with near total impunity”.

The letter cites a February 2026 UN report which found that “torture has become integral” to Israel’s domination and punishment of Palestinian men, women and children, including through custodial abuse, forced displacement, mass killings, deprivation and the destruction of the means of life.

MPs also pointed to Netanyahu’s praise for a decision by Israel’s military advocate to drop charges in March in a case involving the alleged rape of a Palestinian detainee by Israeli soldiers, part of which was reportedly captured on CCTV.

READ: UK MPs warn platforming Pahlavi risks replacing ‘one form of authoritarian rule with another’

They further cited the interception in April and May of the Global Sumud Flotilla and Freedom Flotilla Coalition by Israeli naval forces in international waters. British nationals were among those detained, and detainees alleged that they were beaten and shot. Footage of their treatment was later shared online by Ben-Gvir, Sky News reported. 

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told Sky News that reports of mistreatment of detainees by Israeli forces were “disgraceful” and said the UK had raised the issue with the Israeli government.

“All detainees must be treated with dignity and in full accordance with international law, and any allegations of torture or mistreatment must be thoroughly investigated,” the spokesperson said.

The Foreign Office also called on Israel to grant the International Committee of the Red Cross “immediate and unrestricted access to all detention facilities”, adding that it was “completely unacceptable” that hundreds of Palestinian children are reportedly held in Israeli detention without charge for months.

The letter was signed by 30 Labour MPs and seven Labour peers, as well as representatives from the Greens, Plaid Cymru, Sinn Fein, the SDLP, the Liberal Democrats, the SNP, the Conservatives, crossbench peers and non-affiliated members of the House of Lords.

READ: UK rights organisation calls on Business Secretary to cancel Israeli real estate event in London

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingUK MPs urge sanctions on Netanyahu and Israeli justice minister over torture of Palestinians

Who Does Wes Streeting Think He’s Fooling on Gaza?

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https://novaramedia.com/2026/06/05/who-does-wes-streeting-think-hes-fooling-on-gaza/

Wes Streeting. Jaimi Joy/Reuters

Noone’s buying the crocodile tears.

At a Westminster event on Monday, Emily Thornberry spoke of her pride in Britain “always” realising the “importance of international law”. To this rage-bait statement she added: “But when it comes to our record on Palestine, I am afraid we have fallen well short and in doing so we have failed the Palestinian people.”

This is the same Thornberry who, while shadow attorney general, refused to say whether cutting off food, water and power to people in Gaza was against international law. Spoiler: it is. According to Thornberry, however, “Israel has a right to defend itself”.

Then, on Tuesday, former health secretary Wes Streeting told the Guardian he was “horrified by the war in Gaza”, claiming that he “did everything [he] could behind the scenes to get the government to act”, including sharing a dossier of eyewitness testimony from doctors on the ground with his cabinet colleagues.

While I really hate to sound cynical, I can’t help but wonder if there could possibly be some job openings at the very top of the party of government on the cards?

Remember that in 2023, Streeting rejected calls for a ceasefire and told those advocating for one that they needed to be “realistic”, while toeing the party line on pushing for the cowardly obfuscation of ‘humanitarian pauses’. Months later, he dubbed South Africa’s comprehensive genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) a “distraction”.

By July 2025, Streeting was privately recognising that “Israel is committing war crimes before our eyes”. But he never made a public statement, and didn’t resign his cabinet position over his government’s complicity in the genocide – in Israel’s unrelenting atrocities, the damage or destruction of every single hospital in Gaza, or the kids having their limbs amputated without anesthetic.

…

South Africa’s application to the ICJ stated: “South Africa is also acutely aware of its own obligation – as a state party to the Genocide Convention – to prevent genocide.”

By contrast, the government and its senior cabinet ministers failed in every single legal obligation under treaty and international law. It has been complicit, and also – as Jeremy Corbyn’s Gaza tribunal found in March – an active participant in Israel’s live-streamed genocide.

…

https://novaramedia.com/2026/06/05/who-does-wes-streeting-think-hes-fooling-on-gaza/

Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Continue ReadingWho Does Wes Streeting Think He’s Fooling on Gaza?