Giving Qatar Control Over Israel’s Top Shipping Company Is Pure Madness - Opinion (par le responsable syndical de la société en question)
▻https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2026-07-28/ty-article-opinion/.premium/giving-qatar-control-over-israels-top-shipping-company-is-pure-madness/0000019f-a6f5-db22-a5df-e7f703e80000
A vessel operated by ZIM sailing near the port of Haifa in northern Israel
Credit: Lior Patel / ZIM
Israel’s largest shipping company, ZIM, is a vital asset in times of crisis. Selling it to a German corporation partially owned by Qatar would endanger national security
The sale of ZIM, Israel’s national shipping company, to the German shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd is no ordinary business transaction. It’s a decision with direct implications for Israel’s national security and maritime independence, as well as for the future of Israeli shipping and the livelihoods of approximately 1,000 employees in northern Israel.
Israel is, for all practical purposes, an island nation. Most of its trade is conducted by sea, and its ability to receive food, raw materials, medical equipment, weapons and other essential goods depends on shipping routes and on companies willing to call at Israeli ports during times of crisis.
This reality makes ZIM a national asset. The company was established with funds from German reparations following the Holocaust. Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, understood that a Jewish state surrounded by enemies, without an independent merchant fleet, would be starved of oxygen.
Selling the company that ensures Israel’s independent ability to bring goods into its ports is a questionable idea to begin with. But the identity of Hapag-Lloyd’s shareholders is cause for serious concern. Roughly a quarter of the company’s shares are held by sovereign wealth funds from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which also have representatives on its board. This is not a marginal holding, but a source of genuine influence within the company.
With its immense financial resources, Qatar has systematically acquired influence over vital infrastructure around the world. Today, Qatari board members are preventing Israel’s Rafael from manufacturing components for the Iron Dome system through Volkswagen. Moreover, Qatar funds terrorism and antisemitism around the world, and financed Hamas ahead of the October 7 massacre.
Saudi Arabia may not be as extreme as Qatar, but the realities of the Middle East have taught us the wisdom of the Jewish saying: “Respect him, but suspect him.” After all, even Iran was, until a few decades ago, a relatively friendly country towards Israel; today, it’s an enemy that fires ballistic missiles at Israeli cities.
Handing Qatar and Saudi Arabia control over Israel’s national shipping company would be sheer madness. ZIM is a strategic asset that ensures, in times of emergency, the country’s very ability to continue functioning.
Throughout the past three years of war and heightened security tensions, ZIM has made its fleet available to meet Israel’s needs. The company’s vessels helped transport essential equipment, ammunition, security personnel, medical teams and Israeli citizens stranded abroad. When foreign shipping companies reduced their operations or avoided Israeli ports, ZIM continued to operate as an Israeli company committed to the country.
It’s important to note that Israel’s Transportation Ministry and Defense Ministry have expressed opposition to the sale, while the chairman of the Knesset’s Finance Committee described it as a bad deal for the country.
Under the proposed arrangement, ZIM is expected to be split into two entities. The company’s core operations would be transferred to Hapag-Lloyd, while a small portion would remain under an entity called “ZIM Israel.”
Out of a fleet of approximately 160 vessels, only 12 are expected to remain with the Israeli company. This is a sham designed to meet the minimum formal requirements by preserving, on paper, an Israeli company and the state’s golden share, while in practice transferring most of the fleet into foreign hands. The result would be a loss of control and the disappearance of any meaningful maritime sovereignty.
Alongside the damage to national security and Israeli shipping, there is also a serious risk of widespread layoffs. Many ZIM employees are based in northern Israel, a region that has already suffered severe damage because of the war and offers relatively few high-quality employment opportunities.
Israel holds a golden share in ZIM precisely in order to prevent this nightmare scenario. It must now exercise that power and stop the transaction, before we all regret the consequences.
Oren Caspi is chair of the workers’ union at ZIM.