Denounce the company CAF for contributing to illegal Israeli occupation with the Jerusalem tram

MadridDifferent civil society organizations have filed a complaint with the Prosecutor's Office against the board of directors of the company Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF), as well as against directors of six of its subsidiaries, for the company's involvement in the construction, operation and maintenance of the Jerusalem Light Rail (JLR), which according to the complainants has allegedly contributed "to the consolidation of the illegal annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel; to the maintenance and expansion of Israel's illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, and to the maintenance of discriminatory and inhumane practices by Israel against the Palestinian population".

The complaint, registered on February 18 and which the Prosecutor's Office is already investigating, is promoted by Novact, the Palestinian Community of Catalonia, the Committee of Solidarity with the Arab Cause, Odesca, Paz con Dignidad and SUDS, represented by the Guernica 37 Center.

An "structural" involvement

The reporting organizations point out that CAF, based in the Basque Country, has been involved in the project's development since 2019 with a role that goes "far beyond a one-off collaboration": it is responsible for expanding the JLR's red line, constructing the green line, supplying and refurbishing trains, and deploying signaling, energy, and communication systems. Furthermore, it operates and maintains both lines through a joint venture in which it holds a 50% stake, under contracts lasting between 15 and 25 years.

CAF, in consortium with the Israeli company Shapir, has played a central role in the development of the Jerusalem light rail, providing key services without which the project would not have reached its current phase. "CAF's involvement is structural and indispensable for the operation and expansion of the light rail system," the entities stated in a press release. The complaint alleges that the infrastructure connects Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem with each other and with West Jerusalem, thereby strengthening their integration and growth and deepening the fragmentation of Palestinian neighborhoods.

This is not the first time CAF has been in the spotlight. The company, one of the main rail manufacturers in Spain, has also been singled out by Amnesty International and the United Nations. In fact, the UN list updated in September 2025 of companies that facilitated illegal occupation included ACS, Ineco, and CAF.

Legal basis

From a legal point of view, the complaint maintains that CAF's actions could fall under various "provisions of the Spanish Penal Code relating to crimes against protected persons in armed conflict": "These [provisions] include conduct linked to the transfer of the occupying power's population to occupied territory, the maintenance of discriminatory practices, and violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention".

The complaining organizations also emphasize that the Spanish state has jurisdiction in this case, as CAF is a company based in Spain, its decision-making bodies are subject to Spanish legislation, and the executives mentioned in the complaint are Spanish citizens. In their opinion, this also transfers the responsibility to the Spanish authorities to act in the face of possible violations of international humanitarian law and to investigate crimes to which Spanish companies may be contributing.