The German state of Lower Saxony, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the Israeli fund Aurelius Capital have signed a joint letter of intent to establish a strategic partnership that will turn the Volkswagen plant in Osnabrück, Germany, into a center producing defense components, primarily for the Iron Dome. Behind the agreement was a drama that lasted several months. In July, the German newspaper Bild reported that the Qatar Investment Authority, which holds about 10.4% of Volkswagen's shares, vetoed the deal due to Rafael being an Israeli company. According to reports in Bloomberg and Bild, to bypass the Qatari opposition, the Lower Saxony government will invest about 200 million euros and take control of parts of the plant itself so that the agreement will be signed directly with the local government, not with Volkswagen itself.