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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">AI for War: Big Tech Empowering
Israel\u2019s Crimes and Occupation | Al-Shabaka</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Marwa
Fatafta· Oct 26, 2025</div>
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<h2><b>Introduction</b></h2>
<p><span>US technology giants portray themselves as
architects of a better world powered by artificial
intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and data-driven
solutions. Under slogans such as \u201c</span><a
href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/group/ai-for-good-research-lab/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>AI for Good</span></a><span>,\u201d
they pledge to serve as ethical stewards of the
technologies reshaping our societies. Yet in Gaza,
these </span><a
href="https://aiforgood.itu.int/ai-and-the-social-contract-how-sam-altman-envisions-tomorrows-world/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>narratives</span></a><span>
have collapsed, alongside international norms and
what remains of the so-called rules-based order.</span></p>
<p><span>The Israeli regime\u2019s genocidal war in Gaza has
drawn </span><a href="https://uncomplicit.tech/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>attention</span></a><span>
to the role of major technology companies in
enabling military operations and sustaining the
occupation. Beneath the Israeli destruction lie
servers, neural networks, and software systems built
and deployed by some of the world\u2019s most powerful
corporations. The increasing militarization of
digital technologies and infrastructures\u2014most
visibly in Israel\u2019s deployment of AI-driven systems
and data analytics in Gaza\u2014has reshaped debates on
accountability and exposed critical gaps in existing
governance frameworks. This policy brief examines
how the frontier of accountability for technology
companies now extends to potential complicity in war
crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide,
underscoring the urgent need for new approaches to
regulating AI militarization.</span></p>
<h2><b>An AI-Powered Genocide</b></h2>
<p><span>The Israeli regime first deployed AI systems to
generate and prioritize lethal targets during </span><a
href="https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/gaza-news/guardian-of-the-walls-the-first-ai-war-669371"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>the 11-day bombardment
of Gaza in May 2021</span></a><span>\u2014a vicious,
unlawful assault the Israeli military later
described as its first \u201cAI war.\u201d Since then, the
occupation forces have significantly expanded their
reliance on AI tools, using cloud computing and
machine learning to store and process vast volumes
of surveillance data\u2014from satellite imagery to </span><a
href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/06/microsoft-israeli-military-palestinian-phone-calls-cloud"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>intercepted
communications</span></a><span>\u2014to automate the
identification and ranking of targets for attack. </span></p>
<p><span>Central to Israel\u2019s AI warfare is </span><a
href="https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-google-project-nimbus-israel-idf/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>Project Nimbus</span></a><span>\u2014a
$1.2\u202fbillion contract through which Google and
Amazon have provided the Israeli government and
military with advanced cloud infrastructure and
machine learning capabilities. In the early days of
the genocide, Israeli forces </span><a
href="https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/" role="link"
target="_blank" rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>reportedly</span></a><span>
relied almost entirely on AI-powered
target-generating systems\u2014such as Lavender, The
Gospel, and Where\u2019s Daddy\u2014to accelerate mass killing
and destruction across Gaza. These platforms ingest
mass surveillance data about the entire population
of Gaza to algorithmically determine\u2014at scale\u2014who is
to be killed, which buildings are to be bombed, and
how much \u201ccollateral damage\u201d is deemed acceptable. </span></p>
<p><span><span><a
href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fow.ly%2Fu8Nn50XgJme&text=AI%20has%20enabled%20the%20Israeli%20regime%E2%80%99s%20genocidal%20logic%20to%20be%20carried%20out%20with%20machine-driven%20efficiency%E2%80%94reducing%20Palestinians%2C%20their%20families%2C%20and%20their%20homes%20to%20what%20the%20military%20chillingly%20calls%20%27garbage%20targets%27&via=AlShabaka&related=AlShabaka"
target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener" role="link"
moz-do-not-send="true">AI has enabled the
Israeli regime\u2019s genocidal logic to be carried
out with machine-driven efficiency\u2014reducing
Palestinians, their families, and their homes to
what the military chillingly calls 'garbage
targets' </a></span><a
href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fow.ly%2Fu8Nn50XgJme&text=AI%20has%20enabled%20the%20Israeli%20regime%E2%80%99s%20genocidal%20logic%20to%20be%20carried%20out%20with%20machine-driven%20efficiency%E2%80%94reducing%20Palestinians%2C%20their%20families%2C%20and%20their%20homes%20to%20what%20the%20military%20chillingly%20calls%20%27garbage%20targets%27&via=AlShabaka&related=AlShabaka"
target="_blank" rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
role="link" moz-do-not-send="true">Share on X</a></span></p>
<p><span>Alarmingly, these AI-driven systems internalize
the </span><a
href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-12-18/ty-article-magazine/.premium/idf-soldiers-expose-arbitrary-killings-and-rampant-lawlessness-in-gazas-netzarim-corridor/00000193-da7f-de86-a9f3-fefff2e50000"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>genocidal logic of
their operators</span></a><span>. They are trained
to treat civilians as \u201cterrorists,\u201d building on the
genocidal logic of Israeli officials who declared
that \u201c</span><a
href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-war-extremist-incendiary-language-rhetoric"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>there are no innocent
civilians in Gaza</span></a><span>.\u201d As part of
efforts to automate lethal targeting, military
commanders </span><a
href="https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/" role="link"
target="_blank" rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>reportedly instructed
soldiers</span></a><span> to identify and feed as
many targets as possible into the system. This
effectively lowers the threshold for designating
individuals as \u201cHamas militants,\u201d casting a wide net
of algorithmically flagged subjects. Despite its </span><a
href="https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/" role="link"
target="_blank" rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>high error rate</span></a><span>,
the only criterion Israeli soldiers applied to
Lavender\u2019s kill list was the target\u2019s gender,
effectively rendering all Palestinian males\u2014children
and adults alike\u2014legitimate targets. In practice, AI
technology has enabled the Israeli regime\u2019s
genocidal logic to be executed with ruthless,
machine-driven efficiency, reducing Palestinians,
their families, and their homes to what the military
chillingly refers to as \u201cgarbage targets.\u201d</span></p>
<p><span>While many of the technical details of Israel\u2019s
AI targeting systems remain classified, there is </span><a
href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/06/microsoft-israeli-military-palestinian-phone-calls-cloud"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>ample credible evidence</span></a><span>
that their </span><a
href="https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/ap-exposes-big-tech-ai-systems-direct-role-in-warfare-amid-israels-war-in-gaza/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>functionality depends</span></a><span>
on cloud infrastructure and machine-learning
capabilities developed and maintained by major
technology companies, including Google, Amazon,
Microsoft, and Palantir. Consequently, tech
companies\u2019 direct provision of digital systems used
in Israeli warfare raises urgent questions about
corporate complicity in grave violations of
international law, including acts for which the
International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued </span><a
href="https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-state-palestine-icc-pre-trial-chamber-i-rejects-state-israels-challenges"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>arrest warrants</span></a><span>
for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and
former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.</span></p>
<h3><b><i>From Code to Kill Lists</i></b></h3>
<p><span>As Israel intensified its assault on Gaza, its
demand for AI and cloud-based technologies, supplied
by US tech giants, </span><a
href="https://www.972mag.com/cloud-israeli-army-gaza-amazon-google-microsoft/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>grew rapidly</span></a><span>,
embedding corporate infrastructure into the
machinery of war. In March 2024, Google deepened its
ties with the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD) by
</span><a
href="https://time.com/6966102/google-contract-israel-defense-ministry-gaza-war/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>signing a new contract</span></a><span>
to build a specialized \u201clanding zone\u201d into its cloud
infrastructure, enabling multiple military units
access to its automation technologies. Amazon Web
Services (AWS), Google\u2019s partner in Project Nimbus,
was </span><a
href="https://www.972mag.com/cloud-israeli-army-gaza-amazon-google-microsoft/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>reported to have
supplied</span></a><span> Israel\u2019s Military
Intelligence Directorate with a dedicated server
farm capable of endless storage for surveillance
data collected on almost everyone in Gaza.</span></p>
<p><span>Recent </span><a
href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/06/microsoft-israeli-military-palestinian-phone-calls-cloud"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>reporting</span></a><span>
has further documented the rapid expansion of
Israel\u2019s AI-driven military capabilities,
underscoring how growing partnerships with
technology companies have accelerated the deployment
of advanced systems in its war on Gaza. According to
leaked documents, Microsoft </span><a
href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/06/microsoft-israeli-military-palestinian-phone-calls-cloud"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>hosted</span></a><span>
elements of the Israeli military\u2019s mass surveillance
program on its cloud servers, storing recordings of
millions of intercepted phone calls from
Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The Israeli
occupation forces reportedly used these files to
identify bombing targets, blackmail individuals,
place people in detention, and also to justify
killings after the fact. The Israeli military\u2019s
reliance on Microsoft Azure </span><a
href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/23/israeli-military-gaza-war-microsoft"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>surged</span></a><span>
accordingly: in the first six months of the war, its
average monthly use rose by 60%, while use of
Azure\u2019s machine-learning tools increased 64-fold
compared to prewar levels. By March 2024, the use of
Microsoft and OpenAI technological tools by Israeli
forces was </span><a
href="https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/ap-exposes-big-tech-ai-systems-direct-role-in-warfare-amid-israels-war-in-gaza/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>nearly 200 times higher</span></a><span>
than it had been in the week preceding October 7,
2023. In addition, the amount of data stored on
Microsoft\u2019s servers had doubled to more than 13
petabytes.</span></p>
<p><span>The results of Microsoft\u2019s own </span><a
href="https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2025/09/25/update-on-ongoing-microsoft-review/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>internal review</span></a><span>,
announced in September 2025, ultimately confirmed
that a unit of the Israeli defense ministry had
indeed used some of its services for prohibited
surveillance purposes. Consequently, the company
suspended certain cloud and AI services, admitting
that its technology was complicit in practices that
contravened its terms of service. Yet Microsoft\u2019s
suspension of services to the Israeli military was
minimal: many contracts and functions with the
Israeli military and other government bodies
responsible for gross human rights abuses and
atrocity crimes remain intact. While the review
itself is still ongoing, this narrow admission lays
bare the company\u2019s complicity in Israel\u2019s military
machinery.</span></p>
<p><span>Moreover, big tech\u2019s involvement in Israel\u2019s
war appears to extend beyond standard service
provision. Microsoft engineers have </span><a
href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/23/israeli-military-gaza-war-microsoft"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>reportedly provided</span></a><span>
both remote and on-site technical assistance to
Israeli forces, including Unit 8200 (cyber
operations and surveillance) and Unit 9900
(geospatial intelligence and targeting). In fact,
the Israeli defense ministry procured approximately
19,000 hours of Microsoft engineering and
consultancy services, valued at around $10 million.
Amazon has likewise been implicated, </span><a
href="https://www.972mag.com/cloud-israeli-army-gaza-amazon-google-microsoft/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>reportedly providing</span></a><span>
not only cloud infrastructure but also direct
assistance in verifying targets for airstrikes.
Google\u2019s role raises additional concerns: according
to </span><a
href="https://theintercept.com/2025/05/12/google-nimbus-israel-military-ai-human-rights/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>internal documents</span></a><span>,
the company created a classified team composed of
Israeli nationals with security clearances, tasked
explicitly with receiving sensitive information from
the Israeli government that could not be shared with
the broader company. This team is set to deliver
\u201cspecialized training with government security
agencies\u201d and to participate in \u201cjoint drills and
scenarios tailored to specific threats.\u201d No
comparable arrangement seems to exist between Google
and any other state, underscoring the exceptional
depth of its collaboration with the Israeli regime.</span></p>
<p><span>Profit is not the sole driver of big tech\u2019s
deepening entanglement with Israel\u2019s military;
political affinity plays a role as well. Palantir
Technologies, a US-based data analytics and
surveillance company known for its close ties to
intelligence and defense agencies, has </span><a
href="https://www.businessinsider.com/palantir-tech-ceo-lost-employees-over-israel-support-2024-3?op=1"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>openly expressed</span></a><span>
support for Israel throughout the Gaza genocide.
Palantir has partnered with AWS to deliver tools
designed to help clients, such as the Israeli
military, \u201cwin in the warfighting context.\u201d The
company </span><a
href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-12/palantir-israel-agree-to-strategic-partnership-for-battle-tech"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>signed a strategic
partnership</span></a><span> with the Israeli
defense ministry to provide technologies directly
supporting the genocidal campaign. Microsoft, too,
has longstanding ties with Israel\u2019s military and
security apparatus\u2014ties so close that Netanyahu once
described the relationship as \u201c</span><a
href="https://www.jpost.com/Business-and-Innovation/Tech/Microsofts-Nadella-in-Israel-to-mark-25-year-cooperation-446062"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>a marriage made in
heaven but recognized here on earth</span></a><span>.\u201d</span></p>
<p><span>By providing direct support to Israeli military
operations, tech companies are not merely supplying
infrastructure; they are actively facilitating and
aiding the surveillance, targeting, and execution of
actions that violate international law. In a grim
evolution, the deployment of commercial AI in Gaza
marks a chilling frontier: systems once designed to
optimize logistics and decision-making at scale are
now generating kill lists, erasing families, and
leveling entire neighborhoods. Technology developed
and maintained by big tech now underpins warfare,
ethnic cleansing, and genocide in Palestine, serving
as a </span><a
href="https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/project0100/news/book-review-the-palestine-laboratory"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>prototype</span></a><span>
for the future of automated warfare. </span></p>
<h2><b>The Future of Warfare</b></h2>
<p><span>The Israeli regime has formalized its push
toward automated warfare by </span><a
href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/directorate-of-defense-research-development_israel-mod-establishes-ai-and-autonomy-administration-activity-7280159345256914944-98TS/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>creating a dedicated AI
research division</span></a><span> within the
IMOD, tasked with advancing military capabilities
for a future in which \u201cbattlefields will see
integrated teams of soldiers and autonomous systems
working in concert.\u201d This initiative marks a
significant shift toward the normalization of
AI-driven combat. Western governments, including </span><a
href="https://www.politico.eu/article/france-wants-its-own-military-ai-algorithms/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>France</span></a><span>,
</span><a
href="https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/battlefield-disruption-german-military-seeks-to-adapt-as-ai-changes-warfare-a-ebb36190-8b79-4e85-bd21-e765a9fc9857"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>Germany</span></a><span>,
and the </span><a
href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/04/15/1115078/phase-two-of-military-ai-has-arrived/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>US</span></a><span>,
are pursuing similar trajectories, racing to
integrate artificial intelligence into their weapons
systems and armed forces. Together, these
developments position Israel not only as an early
adopter but as a model for the coming era of
algorithmic warfare.</span></p>
<p><span><span><a
href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fow.ly%2Fu8Nn50XgJme&text=Big%20tech%E2%80%99s%20direct%20provision%20of%20digital%20systems%20used%20in%20Israeli%20warfare%20raises%20urgent%20questions%20about%20corporate%20complicity%20in%20grave%20violations%20of%20international%20law&via=AlShabaka&related=AlShabaka"
target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener" role="link"
moz-do-not-send="true">Big tech\u2019s direct
provision of digital systems used in Israeli
warfare raises urgent questions about corporate
complicity in grave violations of international
law </a></span><a
href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fow.ly%2Fu8Nn50XgJme&text=Big%20tech%E2%80%99s%20direct%20provision%20of%20digital%20systems%20used%20in%20Israeli%20warfare%20raises%20urgent%20questions%20about%20corporate%20complicity%20in%20grave%20violations%20of%20international%20law&via=AlShabaka&related=AlShabaka"
target="_blank" rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
role="link" moz-do-not-send="true">Share on X</a></span></p>
<p><span>In parallel, major tech companies are
abandoning their self-imposed ethical boundaries in
pursuit of military contracts. Earlier this year,
both </span><a
href="https://www.wired.com/story/google-responsible-ai-principles/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>Google</span></a><span>
and </span><a
href="https://theintercept.com/2024/01/12/open-ai-military-ban-chatgpt/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>OpenAI</span></a><span>
quietly abandoned their voluntary commitments not to
develop AI for military use, signaling a broader
realignment with the security and defense sectors.
Within weeks of amending its </span><a
href="https://ai.google/responsibility/principles/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>AI principles</span></a><span>,
Google signed a formal partnership with Lockheed
Martin, the world\u2019s largest arms manufacturer and a
major supplier of weapons to the Israeli military.
In November 2024, Meta </span><a
href="https://about.fb.com/news/2024/11/open-source-ai-america-global-security/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>announced</span></a><span>
that it would make its large language models, called
Llama, available to US government agencies and
contractors working on national security. Lockheed
Martin </span><a
href="https://about.fb.com/news/2024/11/open-source-ai-america-global-security/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>has since integrated</span></a><span>
Llama into its operations.</span></p>
<p><span>Joining the AI-for-warfare race, Meta </span><span>has
also partnered</span><span> with Anduril, a defense
technology startup, to develop virtual and augmented
reality devices for the US Army. Despite its
nonprofit status, OpenAI </span><a
href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/04/1107897/openais-new-defense-contract-completes-its-military-pivot/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>collaborated</span></a><span>
with Anduril to deploy its technology on the
battlefield. In addition, Palantir and Anthropic\u2014an
AI research and development company backed by
Google\u2014</span><a
href="https://investors.palantir.com/news-details/2024/Anthropic-and-Palantir-Partner-to-Bring-Claude-AI-Models-to-AWS-for-U.S.-Government-Intelligence-and-Defense-Operations/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>announced</span></a><span>
a partnership with AWS to \u201cprovide US intelligence
and defense agencies access\u201d to its AI systems.</span></p>
<p><span>A telling indicator of the deepening
convergence between big tech and ministries of war
is the US Army\u2019s </span><a
href="https://defensescoop.com/2025/06/13/army-detachment-201-executive-innovation-corps-meta-openai-palantir/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>decision</span></a><span>
to grant senior executives from Palantir, Meta,
OpenAI, and Thinking Machines Labs the rank of
lieutenant colonel and to embed them as advisors
within the armed forces. Framed as an effort to \u201c</span><a
href="https://www.usar.army.mil/News/News-Display/Article/4216167/army-reserve-soldiers-front-and-center-of-armys-new-detachment-201-executive-in/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>guide rapid and
scalable tech solutions to complex problems</span></a><span>,\u201d
the initiative seeks to make the US military
\u201cleaner, smarter, and more lethal.\u201d The symbolism is
hard to miss: Silicon Valley leaders are no longer
merely building tools for the battlefield; they are
being formally integrated into its command
structure. </span></p>
<h2><b>AI Militarization in a Regulatory Vacuum</b></h2>
<p><span>AI militarization is rapidly unfolding in the
absence of effective regulatory frameworks. While
states continue to </span><a
href="https://docs.un.org/en/A/79/88" role="link"
target="_blank" rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>deliberate norms for
autonomous weapons</span></a><span> at the UN, no
binding international treaty specifically governs
their development or deployment. Even less regulated
are dual-use technologies, such as LLMs and cloud
infrastructure, which are now being embedded in
military operations. Recent national and global </span><a
href="https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/ai-action-summit-a-missed-opportunity-for-human-rights-centered-ai-governance/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>conversations</span></a><span>
and </span><a
href="https://edri.org/our-work/eu-ai-act-fails-to-set-gold-standard-for-human-rights/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>regulatory proposals</span></a><span>
regarding AI governance, which often focus on
upholding privacy and human rights, largely </span><a
href="https://www.accessnow.org/human-rights-and-ai-governance/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>sidestep the
devastating impact of AI systems in conflict zones</span></a><span>.
The most illustrative example of this disconnect is
</span><a href="https://www.gov.il/en/pages/ai2024"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>Israel\u2019s</span></a><span>
signing of the Council of Europe\u2019s </span><a
href="https://rm.coe.int/1680afae3c" role="link"
target="_blank" rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>AI treaty</span></a><span>,
which addresses human rights, democracy, and the
rule of law, at a time when credible reports were
emerging about its use of AI-driven targeting in
Gaza. While the treaty contains numerous caveats
that limit its effectiveness, Israel\u2019s signature
amid an ongoing campaign of genocide underscores the
profound disconnect between the legal norms being
crafted and the battlefield deployment of the
technologies they seek to regulate.</span></p>
<p><span>Meanwhile, voluntary guidelines or soft-law
mechanisms are routinely discarded. The </span><a
href="https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/guidingprinciplesbusinesshr_en.pdf"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>UN Guiding Principles
on Business and Human Rights</span></a><span>
(UNGPs), which outline both state obligations and
corporate responsibilities to identify and mitigate
human rights risks, are frequently ignored by tech
companies. While these principles clearly state that
companies operating in conflict zones must treat the
risk of contributing to gross human rights abuses
and violations of international humanitarian law as
a legal compliance issue, tech companies continue to
comply selectively. Microsoft\u2019s belated admission
that the Israeli regime used its cloud
infrastructure for mass surveillance in Gaza is a
case in point. In May 2025, Microsoft </span><a
href="https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2025/05/15/statement-technology-israel-gaza/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>denied</span></a><span>
enabling the Israeli regime to inflict harm on
Palestinians through mass surveillance, only to
reverse course months later with a narrow admission
of misuse of its technology. As mentioned, this
admission exposes the extent to which companies fail
to fulfil their responsibility under the UNGPs to
identify and mitigate such harm. </span></p>
<p><span><span><a
href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fow.ly%2Fu8Nn50XgJme&text=Silicon%20Valley%20leaders%20are%20no%20longer%20merely%20building%20tools%20for%20the%20battlefield%3B%20they%20are%20being%20formally%20integrated%20into%20its%20command%20structure&via=AlShabaka&related=AlShabaka"
target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener" role="link"
moz-do-not-send="true">Silicon Valley leaders
are no longer merely building tools for the
battlefield; they are being formally integrated
into its command structure </a></span><a
href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fow.ly%2Fu8Nn50XgJme&text=Silicon%20Valley%20leaders%20are%20no%20longer%20merely%20building%20tools%20for%20the%20battlefield%3B%20they%20are%20being%20formally%20integrated%20into%20its%20command%20structure&via=AlShabaka&related=AlShabaka"
target="_blank" rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
role="link" moz-do-not-send="true">Share on X</a></span></p>
<p><span>In this context, international criminal law
remains inadequate to address corporate complicity
in war crimes. Both customary law and the </span><a
href="https://journals.law.harvard.edu/ilj/2016/07/corporate-liability-under-the-rome-statute/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>Rome Statute</span></a><span>
restrict criminal liability to natural persons, </span><a
href="https://sustainability.freshfields.com/post/102het0/corporate-human-rights-responsibility-under-international-criminal-law-reaching"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>excluding corporations</span></a><span>
as legal entities. As a result, pursuing corporate
accountability for the involvement in committing and
perpetuating atrocity crimes, including genocide,
war crimes, and crimes against humanity, is a </span><a
href="https://nyujilp.org/corporate-accountability-prosecuting-corporations-for-the-commission-of-international-crimes-of-atrocity"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>legal struggle</span></a><span>
of its own.</span></p>
<p><span>While the prospect of seeing a tech executive
stand trial for aiding and abetting international
crimes may seem remote, even modest calls for
regulation and accountability are increasingly under
attack. The Trump administration has folded big tech
into its broader pursuit of global dominance,
effectively rendering the industry giants
untouchable. In alignment with industry lobbyists,
Trump has </span><a
href="https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/trump-vows-retaliation-countries-digital-rules-targeting-us-124984255"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>pledged to resist
state-level regulation</span></a><span> of the
tech sector and has already begun rolling back
oversight mechanisms</span><span>. The </span><a
href="https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/07/sanctioning-lawfare-that-targets-u-s-and-israeli-persons"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>sanctioning</span></a><span>
of the UN Special Rapporteur for Palestine,
Francesca Albanese, following the release of her </span><a
href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ahrc5923-economy-occupation-economy-genocide-report-special-rapporteur"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>report on corporate
complicity</span></a><span> in Israel\u2019s unlawful
occupation and genocide, further illustrates the
current climate in which the US government and
corporations close ranks to shield themselves from
any pursuit of justice and accountability. </span><span>Compounded
by entrenched anti-Palestinian bias and the
persistent double standards surrounding Israel\u2019s
crimes and occupation, these dynamics have created a
permissive legal and political environment that
shields the tech sector from scrutiny. As a result,
tech companies can continue to design, deploy, and
support AI-driven targeting systems and mass
surveillance technologies in direct collaboration
with the Israeli military occupation, without
oversight or accountability.</span></p>
<p><span>Amid this accountability crisis, tech workers
are increasingly at the forefront of challenging
corporate complicity. </span><span>While executives
double down on their business ties with the Israeli
regime, dissent within the tech industry </span><a
href="https://www.notechforapartheid.com/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>continues to grow</span></a><span>,
as more employees refuse to build the tools that
enable genocide, colonization, and apartheid.</span><span>
The </span><a
href="http://reuters.com/sustainability/society-equity/microsoft-fires-four-workers-on-site-protests-over-companys-ties-israel-2025-08-29/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>recent termination of
Microsoft workers</span></a><span> who protested
the company\u2019s role in Israel\u2019s genocide in Gaza was
mirrored at Google, where employees have </span><a
href="https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/23/tech/google-fires-employees-protest-israel"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>faced retaliation</span></a><span>
for opposing collaboration with Israeli military and
security agencies. Organizers from groups such as </span><a
href="https://www.notechforapartheid.com/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>No Tech for Apartheid</span></a><span>
and the </span><a
href="https://techworkerscoalition.org/" role="link"
target="_blank" rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>Tech Workers Coalition</span></a><span>
have been central in exposing the industry\u2019s deep
entanglement with state violence, often carried out
through opaque and undisclosed military contracts.</span></p>
<h2><b>Recommendations</b></h2>
<p><span>While resistance within the tech industry
continues to grow, Palestinian civil society and
global solidarity movements must intensify efforts
to dismantle the structures that dehumanize
Palestinians and treat them as test subjects for new
war technologies.</span></p>
<p><span>First, addressing corporate complicity requires
confronting the research partnerships involving
private entities, including business enterprises and
academic institutions, which </span><a
href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ahrc5923-economy-occupation-economy-genocide-report-special-rapporteur"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>collaborate in
developing and scaling militarized technologies</span></a><span>.
It also requires examining the funding streams,
trade flows, and broader economic ties that sustain
and legitimize Israel\u2019s militarized tech sector.
Often described as the \u201cengine of growth\u201d, Israel\u2019s
high-tech industry is structurally </span><a
href="https://www.gov.il/BlobFolder/news/einnovationreport/en/State%20of%20the%20High%20Tech%20Industry%20in%20Israel%202023%20Report%20Submitted%20to%20the%20Minister%20of%20Innovation,%20Science,%20and%20Technology.pdf"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>reliant on private and
foreign capital</span></a><span>. Around 91% of
its funding comes from the private sector, and
roughly 80% of venture capital investments originate
from abroad. These figures underscore how
international investors, universities, and
corporations are directly implicated in financing
and legitimizing Israel\u2019s military-tech apparatus.
Governments, regulators, and civil society should
press for transparency in financial flows, condition
partnerships on compliance with international law,
and pursue divestment or sanctions against companies
complicit in atrocity crimes and systemic human
rights violations.</span></p>
<p><span>Second, civil society efforts and legal
initiatives focused on accountability must place
greater emphasis on the digital infrastructures
underpinning Israel\u2019s crimes, not only in Gaza but
also in the West Bank. The Office of the Prosecutor
at the ICC recently </span><a
href="https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/2025-03/250306-OTP-Policy-on-Cyber-Enabled-Crimes-for-public-consultation.pdf"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>published its first
draft policy on investigating and prosecuting
cyber-enabled crimes</span></a><span>\u2014an overdue
acknowledgment of the digital dimensions of today\u2019s
atrocity crimes. While prosecuting tech executives
for complicity in such crimes is a complex and
long-term undertaking\u2014fraught with challenges of
evidence, intent, and jurisdiction\u2014it offers a path
worth exploring. </span></p>
<p><span>The 2024 International Court of Justice </span><a
href="https://www.un.org/unispal/document/report-of-the-secretary-general-icj-19dec24/"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>advisory opinion</span></a><span>
on the illegality of Israel\u2019s occupation makes clear
that states are obligated to refrain from supporting
or sustaining that unlawful presence. This opinion
opens the door to legal challenges not only against
governments that maintain economic or military ties
with Israel, but also against corporations domiciled
in those states whose technologies materially
facilitate ethnic cleansing and occupation. Civil
society actors should use this opinion to pressure
states to regulate such corporate involvement,
pursue litigation where companies fail to comply,
and advocate for divestment from firms that continue
to provide digital infrastructure to the Israeli
regime. </span></p>
<p><span>Third, fostering stronger alliances between
legal advocates and tech workers is crucial. These
collaborations can expose opaque military contracts,
strengthen evidence gathering, and amplify internal
dissent within the industry. By connecting legal
strategies with worker-led resistance, such
alliances can both challenge the complicity embedded
in the digital infrastructures of war and apartheid
and lay the groundwork for future accountability
mechanisms.</span></p>
<p><span>Ultimately, establishing clear accountability
mechanisms for military AI requires governments,
regulators, and civil society to collaborate in
closing legal loopholes and reshaping the global
tech landscape to uphold international law. Big tech
accountability is particularly urgent given the
accelerating use of AI in warfare, and consequently
the </span><a
href="https://www.icrc.org/en/statement/we-cannot-let-AI-be-deployed-on-battlefield-without-oversight-and-regulation"
role="link" target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span>heightened scale,
speed, and opacity of AI-driven lethal force.</span></a><span>
In the case of Palestine, AI technologies supplied
by major tech companies have played a central role
in enabling the Israeli regime to wage a genocidal
campaign in Gaza with unprecedented scale and
ruthlessness. Holding these companies accountable is
therefore a core component of the broader pursuit of
justice and accountability for Israel\u2019s war crimes.</span></p>
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