Two Spanish companies, CAF of the Basque Country and GMV of Madrid, one light rail in Jerusalem It includes stops at illegal Israeli colonies established in the occupied areas of the Palestinian West Bank. It is a project worth approximately 1,800 million euros. The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism has just asked GMV to submit its “independent third party” report within a year. Evaluate the impact of your work on the employed population. It also expects a similar statement before May from the CAF, which it has previously accused of not providing enough information on its human rights implications because it says it will be developed in Israel once it becomes part of the light rail system. the line passes through the West Bank and thus through territory legitimately recognized as Palestinian by Spain and the rest of the United Nations.
Both are non-binding decisions. National Contact Point (PNC)A Ministry body that oversees compliance with OECD standards on the social responsibility of multinational corporations.
“Normalize the occupation”
The Claimant, the Committee of Solidarity with the Arab Cause, emphasizes that this is a project that transcends illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and one of the two lines (Red Line). It is enshrined in Resolution 31/36 of the United Nations Human Rights Council. It’s about violation of international law. “First, normalizing the occupation and facilitating colonization with the support of infrastructures implemented by the expropriation and exile of Palestinians, IV. ”.
GMV, contacted by this newspaper, assures that they “discussed the issue at a meeting” this Monday but decided to “not comment”. The company is headquartered in Tres Cantos (Madrid) and has more than 3,000 employees. and recorded revenues of 260 million in 2021. management and location of trains, including stations in illegal Israeli settlements.
This consortium undertook the construction of 160 trains and 76 stations of the new Red and Green lines between the occupied city of Jerusalem and the nearby colonies. CAF is listed on the stock exchange, has a revenue of close to 3,000 million euros and more than 13,000 employees. It has also been requested by industry and must submit an independent report on the impact of the project on Palestinians’ human rights before May. CAF did not respond to written questions sent in this way. There is a third Spanish company, TIPSAAlso involved in the construction of the Jerusalem light rail system.
PNC disgraces both companies for their lack of knowledge of the controversial aspects of the project and the risks involved. The project is not mentioned in the press release or the event three years ago, when CAF bought the project. overlapping light rail route. Yes, there is talk of the total amount of 500 million euros in revenue represented by the first part of the project, the provision of new wagons and the rehabilitation of existing others, as well as the provision of signal, energy and communication systems. ; and maintenance turnover of approximately 1,000 million for both tram lines, which will last for 15 and 25 years, respectively.
“Given the current international context in the area in which the tram operates, the Spanish company had to exercise due diligence and take into account the above-mentioned context before deciding to participate in the project, togetherthe possibility that their participation in e will result in human rights violationsThe first of the resolutions referring to CAF is that it is a constraint for development, building local capacities and formation of human capital”. Note also that the local Israeli partner (Shapir) was excluded by the Norwegian Investment Fund for his involvement in the occupation, and companies collaborating with the Israeli occupation are included in the United Nations database.
The ministry body also advises Spanish companies to: remind your partners and suppliers that OECD guidelines must be respected for multinational companies. For reference, he cites a communication by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2014 in which Spanish companies were informed about the risks associated with economic and financial activities in Israeli settlements, “in accordance with the EU decision and in the same way as Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Italy did”. Business with Israel, yes, but within its internationally recognized borders. Neither the EU nor the US recognize the hundreds of Israeli settlements dotting the Palestinian landscape as Israel, and some of these trains aim to connect to the Israeli part of Jerusalem.
The ministry also recommends that companies review their “disclosure policies” and report to themselves “all risk factors that may be involved in activities they do or may take in the future”.
Both Industry Decisions The names of the two companies have been anonymized, at the express request of both. However, the Committee for Solidarity with the Arab Cause (CSCA) confirmed to this newspaper that the decisions (9 and 10) relate to lawsuits against CAF and GMV companies, respectively, and provided the original texts for comparison. In addition, the first of the decisions, “Spanish company” and Israeli Shapir consortium for management Light Rail [el formado y anunciado por CAF]. In the latter case, in the case of GMV, it is an extension of CAF, because “the basis of the claim is largely the same, except that it is against another company (the supplier of the first company)”.
Work in the busy part
Spain, the European Union and most of the international community consider Israeli settlements in Gaza illegal under international law. From a foreign standpoint, they are an obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict impossible.
“EU and its Member States They will not recognize border changes before 1967including the issue of Jerusalem, which has not been agreed upon by the parties. “The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the Golan Heights, is territory occupied by Israel since 1967. Transactions, investments, acquisitions, contracts and other economic activities (including services such as tourism) in Israeli settlements,” he said.
According to the EFE, among other things, “it can lead to disputes over titles of land, water, minerals or other natural resources that may be objects of purchase or investment”.