Leaked documents show US tech giant Microsoft expanded its business ties with the Israeli military after it launched its war on the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military’s reliance on Microsoft’s cloud technology and artificial intelligence systems surged during the most intensive phase of its bombardment of Gaza, British daily The Guardian reported on Thursday.
The paper said it carried out an investigation with the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call into Microsoft’s deep ties with Israel’s military.
The investigation sheds new light on how the Israeli military turned to major US tech companies to meet the technological demands of war, it said.
As a result, the Israeli military “has become increasingly dependent on the likes of Microsoft, Amazon and Google to store and analyze greater volumes of data and intelligence information for longer period”, it added.
“As a trusted partner of Israel’s ministry of military affairs, Microsoft was frequently tasked with working on sensitive and highly classified projects. Its staff also worked closely with the [army’s] intelligence directorate, including its elite surveillance division, Unit 8200,” the investigation found.
Commercial ties between Israel’s military and big US tech groups are coming under increasing scrutiny. They have sparked protests among tech workers who fear products they build and maintain have enabled a war in Gaza in which Israel stands accused of grave violations of international humanitarian law.
The war on Gaza has become known for the Israeli military’s application of novel systems on the battlefield including AI-driven target recommendation tools.
Until now, the role played by major US-headquartered tech companies to support Israel’s war on Gaza has largely remained out of sight.
Earlier, The Washington Post revealed that US tech giant Google worked “directly” with Israel and provided the regime with more access to AI services since the start of the war.
Google employees “rushed” to provide Israel forces with access to the company’s latest artificial intelligence technology from the early weeks of the Gaza war to beat out their rival, Amazon, the paper said.
The United States is Israel’s No.1 supplier of weaponry and political support, providing it with all weapons, munitions and other provisions and diplomatic backing needed to continue its wars in West Asia.
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