Which Companies Support Israel’s Genocide in Gaza?
Alphabet, Amazon, IBM and Palantir, as well as US military and energy giants, are just a few on the UN’s list of companies that are in breach of international law for their support of the genocide in Gaza.
The United Nations released a report mapping out the companies that support and enable Israel’s genocide in Gaza. The report by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese named 48 corporate entities who have aided Israel in its war on the Palestinian territory. These companies range from military and energy companies to tech and finance giants to companies involved in Israel’s illegal settlement expansion.
Headlining the list of companies are tech giants like Alphabet, Amazon, Palantir, Microsoft, and IBM. Other companies on the list include Lockheed Martin, Chevron, BP, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Volvo, and Airbnb.
The UN report underscores how the companies that support Israel’s genocide in Gaza must also be held to account. According to the report, “[Israel’s] forever-occupation has become the ideal testing ground for arms manufacturers and Big Tech—providing significant supply and demand, little oversight, and zero accountability—while investors and private and public institutions profit freely.”
The report further details the involvement of each of the companies as follows:
Military Companies
US aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin leads the list of over 1,600 military companies involved with Israel’s procurement of F-35 fighter jets. Italian manufacturer Leonardo S.p.A. and Japan’s FANUC are also major contributors to the purchase and production of arms.
Energy Companies
Energy companies such as the Drummond Company and Glencore are the primary suppliers of coal for electricity to Israel. Chevron and BP—a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London—were also named on the list.
Tech Companies
US tech companies are complicit in Israel’s genocide by enabling the collection, storage and use of biometric data on Palestinians. Companies such as Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon provide Israel “virtually government-wide access to their cloud and AI technologies,” according to the report. Through the use of these companies’ tech, Israel is able to facilitate mass surveillance of the Palestinian people.
Microsoft recently backpedaled on its support as it “ceased and disabled a set of services to a unit within the Israel Ministry of Defense,” according to the company’s blog. In the statement, Microsoft said it is currently reviewing its policies.
Companies Involved in Israel’s Illegal Settlement Expansion
The UN Report also named companies that are involved in Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories such as Caterpillar, Hyundai, and Volvo Group. These companies provide heavy machinery for home demolitions and construction of illegal settlements. Meanwhile, rental platforms like Booking and Airbnb list properties for rental in Israeli-occupied territory.
In agriculture, companies profit from seized Palestinian land. China’s Bright Dairy & Food is a majority owner of Tnuva, Israel’s largest food conglomerate.
Finance Companies
Tracing the ownership of the companies that support Israel, two investment firms were named as their main investors: Blackrock and Vanguard. Meanwhile, Allianz and AXA were found to have invested large sums in shares and bonds linked to Israel’s occupation.
According to Albanese, all of the companies named in the report are criminally liable. Corporations are obligated to respect human rights even when the state where they operate in does not.
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