Nazis founded Volkswagon, now do something for Israel

In a landmark deal that marries German engineering prowess with Israeli combat-proven technology, Volkswagen is in advanced negotiations to transform its Osnabrück vehicle plant into a production hub for the Iron Dome missile defense system, Israel’s defense system against incoming missiles launched by Hamas, Iran and other Islamic nations that call for the total annihilation of the Jewish state.

The partnership with Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems represents a strategic masterstroke, offering a lifeline to thousands of German workers while bolstering Western security at a time of unprecedented global volatility.

The move comes as Israel and the United States continue their high-stakes campaign to neutralize the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran and its regional proxies. While the conflict has sparked intense debate within the German halls of power, most notably from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who recently characterized the war as a “disastrous mistake,” the VW-Rafael tie-up signals a more pragmatic, security-first approach from Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government.

The Osnabrück plant, previously facing closure due to a sluggish transition to electric vehicles, is set to become a cornerstone of the European Sky Shield Initiative. By producing launchers, generators, and heavy-duty transport trucks for the Iron Dome, Volkswagen is pivoting from a struggling automotive market to a booming defense sector.

For Israel, the deal is a testament to the enduring strength of the Berlin-Jerusalem alliance. Rafael officials noted that Germany was chosen specifically for its status as one of Israel’s most reliable partners. The collaboration aims to save 2,300 high-skilled jobs that were previously at risk of redundancy, integrate “Battle-Proven” Technology into the European defense infrastructure, and strengthen Transatlantic Security by providing a localized supply chain for critical air defense components.

The industrial synergy stands in stark contrast to the pointed rhetoric from President Steinmeier, who on Tuesday warned of a “profound rupture” in ties with Washington. However, Chancellor Merz has remained focused on the broader strategic necessity of the mission. While expressing concern over regional stability and potential migration waves, Merz has affirmed that Germany shares the core goals of the U.S. and Israel: ending Tehran’s ballistic missile program and its support for global terrorism.

The transition at Osnabrück is expected to be seamless, requiring minimal new investment to convert existing assembly lines for defense hardware. Beyond the immediate economic boost, the partnership allows Germany to harness its excess industrial capacity to meet a €500 billion defense spending goal by 2030.

By choosing to produce the Iron Dome, a system credited with a 90% success rate in saving civilian lives, Volkswagen is not just saving a factory; it is participating in a vital effort to safeguard the democratic world.

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German suspect planned explosive massacre on Yom Kippur to kill Jews

Halle, Germany -- Anti-Semitism has exponentially increased globally over the last few years and in Germany, it more than doubled from last year, rising to 48 from the previous year of 21.

The suspect in an attack on a synagogue on the highest Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur, was lugging around 9 pounds of explosives in his car and planned to carry out a massacre, German prosecutors said. [H/T World Israel News] 

He live-streamed the attack in which he killed two people with the hope to inspire more attacks on Jews. And since he was not of a particular religion and was a white supremacist, the U.S. mainstream media was happy to carry the story. The Washington Post was quick to mention other attacks carried out by white supremacists, such as the Norway attack, but made no mention of attacks carried out by anti-Semitic islamists, like the attack on the Jewish delicatessen in France, and other attacks against Jews .

Thankfully, the doors of the synagogue were locked which prevented more Jews from being killed by the alleged attacker.

It wasn't clear how he was able to get his hands on the weapons he used in the attack.

The assailant — a German citizen identified by prosecutors but will not be identified here, tried but failed to force his way into the synagogue that held about 80 worshipers. He then shot and killed a woman in the street outside and a man at a nearby kebab shop. He is now in custody.

“What we experienced yesterday was terror,” said Peter Frank, the chief federal prosecutor. “The suspect, [not named here], aimed to carry out a massacre in the synagogue in Halle.” Yes, he was trying to open the locked door which was when the police were notified and took 10 minutes to arrive.

Frank said his weapons were “apparently homemade” and the explosives in the car were built into “numerous devices.” The suspect, who live-streamed the attack on a popular gaming site while ranting in English about Jews and posted a “manifesto” online before embarking on it, “wanted to create a worldwide effect” and encourage others to imitate him, the prosecutor added.

The alleged attacker is suspected of two counts of murder, nine of attempted murder and other offenses, Frank said. His apartment was searched and investigators were sifting evidence. But “we face a lot of questions,” he added.

Officials didn’t provide details of the victims, who were killed outside the synagogue and in a nearby kebab shop. Ironically, Yom Kippur is a day of fasting so it's feasible to believe that the person at the kebab shop was not Jewish.

Josef Schuster, the leader of Germany's Jewish community said that the absence of police guards outside the synagogue on such a high holy day is "scandalous."

The head of the city’s Jewish community, Max Privorozki, was among those inside who watched on monitors linked to a surveillance camera as the man was trying to break in to do more killing.

“We saw everything, also how he shot and how he killed someone,” the Jewish community leader said, standing outside the damaged door. “I thought this door wouldn’t hold.”

“That was a shock for us. It was Yom Kippur, all phones were switched off. We had to understand what was going on first — then switch on my phone and then call the police,” he said. “It was really panic. But I have to say after that, when the police came, we continued with the worship service, that lasted another three hours.”

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier met with community representatives at the synagogue Thursday. “It is not enough to condemn such a cowardly attack,” he said. “It must be clear that the state takes responsibility for the safety of Jewish life in Germany,” he added, saying that society overall must show “a clear, determined position of solidarity” with Jews.

“History reminds us, the present demands of us” that Germans must stand by their Jewish compatriots, he said. “Those who so far have been silent must speak out.”

Synagogues are often protected by police in Germany and have been for many years amid concerns over far-right and Islamic extremism. There has been rising concern lately about both anti-Semitism and right-wing extremism in the country which contains about 24,100 members, over half of whom are violent.

This attack makes a great case for the Second Amendment as written in the U.S. Constitution which views the ownership of firearms for self-protection as an inalienable right.

Joachim Herrmann, Bavaria’s state interior minister, accused members of the nationalist, anti-migrant Alternative for Germany Party of helping stir up anti-Semitism, an accusation the Party denies. Some figures in the Party, which entered the national parliament in 2017, have made comments appearing to downplay the Nazi past. And Hitler was a misunderstood artist.

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon called on the president of the Security Council and the entire U.N. “to condemn the terrorist attack in Germany and take action against anti-Semitic terrorism.”

According to a statement released by Danon's office:  “The scourge of anti-Semitism is spreading in Europe, but threatens the entire world. The international community must declare war on anti-Semitism and act firmly to end hatred of the Jewish people around the world. Jews should not have to look over their shoulders in fear for their lives during prayer.”

But sadly, it seems as though anti-Semitism has become acceptable in the West and now makes for cocktail conversation. This must stop for goodness sake--literally.


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Merkel studying Trump for first date

Germany -- Chancellor Angela Merkel is worried about Donald Trump. She doesn't know how to read him and worries that unlike her, he might be less hospitable toward Muslim immigrants and also be tough on trade with Germany and the rest of the world.

So Merkel is pouring over videos and old interviews of President Trump trying to discover ways to woo him when they first meet.

Trump is no Bill Clinton, so sexual favors are off the table.

Merkel is in the process of getting ready to run her own campaign for a fourth term in the fall election. She is already using Trump as a foil but that may be her downfall if not for her ultra-liberal immigration stance on Islamic immigration. Germans are upset with her and once they fully realize that she's taking in very few oppressed Christians, they may actually elect someone more Trump-like. Who knows?

The Berlin chancellery has reached out to the Trump transition team to suggest an early meeting, which would give her the opportunity to discuss and hopefully for her, counter his negative views on the European Union, free trade and NATO, said one government official.

No date has been given for the first meeting as yet, but for Merkel, it cannot come soon enough.

Merkel, a physicist by training, uses a coalition-building approach. Trump, a real estate tycoon by inheritance, uses a Twitter tweeting diplomacy approach.

Merkel's message to President Trump will need to be that the EU is "strategic interest for Germany" and the Trump administration's efforts to weaken it would translate that "you're treading on our lawn," Thomas Bagger, the head of policy planning at the German Foreign Ministry said in Berlin on Thursday. "I think that's the only message he'll get and the only message he'll listen to."

Barack Obama praised Merkel's "strong, courageous and steady leadership" in a phone call Thursday. (One wonders if he promised her the call wasn't being bugged by the NSA.) 

The relationship with Donald Trump is likely to be more contentious, but a lot more honest with a world leader as the newly sworn-in president called the German Chancellor's open borders for refugees a "very catastrophic mistake" and cast doubt on the efficacy of NATO and the EU.

If President Trump doesn't host Merkel at the White House, they will probably meet at the G7 summit in Italy in May or at the G20 hosted by her in Hamburg in July.

While Merkel offered cooperation with Trump on their shared country's values of "democracy, freedom, respect for the rule of law and the dignity of humankind," she has been publicly silent on her thoughts and attitude about him.

On the other hand, Merkel's foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the next German president, was highly critical of Trump during the U.S. campaign and once called him a
"hate preacher."

Saying that he is going to put our own country first and that we all bleed the same color is not a very good example of hate.


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