A coalition of civil society organizations files a criminal complaint against CAF’s Board of Directors for its involvement in the Jerusalem Light Rail
The complaint calls on the Prosecutor’s Office to investigate the potential criminal liability of CAF’s management for its involvement in infrastructure linked to settlements in occupied territory.
A coalition of civil society organizations has filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office against the Board of Directors of Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF), as well as against executives of six subsidiaries, over the company’s involvement in the construction, operation, and maintenance of the Jerusalem Light Rail (JLR).
The complaint, registered on 18 February 2026, 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 Centro Guernica 37.
A structural involvement in the project
According to the document submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office, CAF, with its headquarters in the Basque Country, has been involved in the development of the project since 2019 with a role that goes far beyond a one-off collaboration: it is responsible for extending the JLR Red Line, building the Green Line, supplying and refurbishing trains, and deploying signalling, energy, and communications systems.
In addition, 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 and operation of the Jerusalem Light Rail (JLR), providing key services without which the project would not have reached its current stage. CAF’s involvement is structural and indispensable for the functioning and expansion of the light rail system—not only due to its technical scope. The complaint states that the infrastructure connects Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem with each other and with West Jerusalem, reinforcing their integration and growth while deepening the fragmentation of Palestinian neighbourhoods.
It also argues that CAF’s activities in relation to the Jerusalem Light Rail allegedly contribute to the consolidation of Israel’s illegal annexation of occupied East Jerusalem; the maintenance and expansion of Israel’s illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territory; the maintenance of discriminatory and inhuman practices by Israel against Palestinians.
Legal basis and responsibility in Spain
From a legal standpoint, the complaint argues that CAF’s actions could fall under several provisions of the Spanish Criminal Code relating to crimes against protected persons in armed conflict. These include conduct linked to participation in the transfer of the occupying power’s civilian population into occupied territory, the maintenance of discriminatory practices, and violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
The complainant organizations also stress that Spain has jurisdiction in this case, as CAF is a company headquartered in Spain, its decision-making bodies are subject to Spanish law, and the executives named in the complaint are Spanish nationals. In their view, this also places responsibility on Spanish authorities to act in the face of potential violations of international humanitarian law and to investigate crimes to which Spanish companies may be contributing.
Awaiting the Prosecutor’s response
The complaint comes after years of warnings about the legal and reputational risks of the project. Despite this, the company has maintained its involvement, including the inauguration of the Red Line extension on 9 March 2025. Furthermore, in September 2025, CAF was included in the United Nations database of companies linked to activities in Israel’s illegal settlements.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that it had received the complaint and opened an investigation regarding the complaint.
The organisations behind the complaint are calling on the Prosecutor, in light of the evidence submitted and the findings of the investigation, to refer the case to the National Court and bring it before the court.
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