Four Spanish companies are currently involved in the construction of new tram lines in Jerusalem reaching the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel: CAFGMV, TYPSA and now, COMSA. This last company, together with Israeli J-Train partners, will be responsible for the construction and maintenance of the new blue tram line in the Holy City for the next 35 years, according to newspaper Noticias de Israel, citing the Treasury Department. of your country.
The consortium including the Catalan company won Competition worth 2.2 billion eurosAccording to Expansión. The new 31-kilometer line will start from Gilo, an illegal Israeli settlement where approximately 30,000 people live and is located in the Palestinian part of the so-called 1967 borders recognized by the international community.
COMSA managed to take its place in this competition Basque company CAF and its Israeli partner Shapir People currently working on the other two lines, red and greenIt also has connections with Israeli colonies. According to Israel News, the COMSA consortium’s bid was 30% cheaper than others in terms of maintaining the lines.
There are two other Spanish companies involved in Jerusalem light rail operations subcontracted by CAF: GMV of MadridResponsible for providing automatic location systems to vehicles and TIPSAThis also contributes to the design.
Lines involved in discussion
The involvement of Spanish companies in these projects has been strongly criticized by organizations such as Amnesty International or the Committee of Solidarity with the Arab Cause, which consider them to reinforce Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.
In 2017, the UN Human Rights Council declared the tram project illegal. violates several of its decisions According to Amnesty International, it and other international railway companies refused to enter into public tenders.
The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism asked CAF and GMV to submit an analysis by an “independent third party” within one year. The impact of their work on the employed population. Spanish rail giant CAF responded with a report by this newspaper that concluded: “CAF’s activities in East Jerusalem do not suggest a scenario for its failure. human rights due diligence systems”. The report avoids explanations of the impact of railway line construction on the occupation of the area.
Both companies were affected by the industry’s lack of information about the controversial aspects of the project and the risks it posed. When CAF acquired the project three years ago, there was no mention of this project neither in the press release nor in the statement it issued on the subject. conflicting light rail layout.
The ministerial body also Remind your partners and suppliers of the need to comply with OECD guidelines for multinational companies. He references a correspondence in which the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed Spanish companies in 2014 about risks related to economic and financial activities in Israeli settlements “in line with the EU decision and as Germany and the United Kingdom”. France and Italy did this. I do business with Israel, yes, but within its internationally recognized borders. Neither the EU nor the USA recognizes hundreds of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory as Israel; Part of this train aims to connect to the Israeli part of Jerusalem.
The Committee of Solidarity with the Arab Cause reminds that the new Jerusalem tram project passes through illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory and on one of the two lines (Red). Included in United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution 31/36 It’s about violations of international law. “Firstly, normalization of occupation and facilitation of colonialism with the support of infrastructures implemented with the expropriation and deportation of Palestinians, IV. It is prohibited by the Geneva Convention and various resolutions of the United Nations and Security Council, such as 2334 (2016). ”.
CAF is a publicly traded multinational railway company headquartered in Beasain (Guipuzcoa) and Invoiced more than 3,000 million euros in 2022. It has more than 13,000 employees.
GMV Headquartered in Tres Cantos (Madrid), the company employs more than 3,000 people and recorded revenues of 260 million in 2021. management and location trains, including stations in illegal Israeli settlements.
COMSA It is a Barcelona-based infrastructure development and industrial engineering company with a turnover of 886 million Euros in 2022 and a workforce of 5,227 people.
TIPSA tIt has 3,100 employees and its revenues are 266 million in 2021.