Qatar is trying to disrupt the deal between Rafael and Volkswagen

The Qatari sovereign wealth fund, which owns a 17% stake in the German automobile concern Volkswagen, is trying to sabotage the deal with the Israeli defense concern Rafael, Reuters reports.

As part of the deal, Rafael intends to acquire the Volkswagen plant in Osnabrück, which was planned to be closed as part of the restructuring, and establish there the production of components for the Iron Dome missile defense system.

Volkswagen has been looking for a buyer for several years to preserve production and prevent the layoff of more than 2,000 workers.

According to Reuters, Qatar pointed to the “complicated nature” of the emirate’s relations with Israel. Representatives of Qatar have two votes on Volkswagen’s board of directors out of 20. Another ten votes belong to representatives of the concern’s employees, the rest to the federal state of Lower Saxony and the Porsche family.