Washington, MINA – Current and former Microsoft employees joined activists in a protest at the company’s Redmond headquarters on Tuesday, demanding an end to its business ties with Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza. The demonstration, organized by the group “No Azure for Apartheid,” targeted Microsoft President Brad Smith’s office in Building 34.
According to Anadolu Agency, protesters held banners renaming the office the “Mai Ubeid Building” in honor of a Palestinian software engineer killed in a 2023 Israeli airstrike and called on Microsoft to sever its contracts with Israel. Seven individuals were arrested after entering Smith’s office during the protest.
The action follows reports that Microsoft’s Azure cloud services have been used by Israel’s Unit 8200 to store recordings of Palestinian phone calls. Earlier this year, the Associated Press revealed a partnership between Microsoft and Israel’s Defense Ministry to process intelligence for target selection.
Microsoft stated that an internal review found no evidence of Azure or its AI technologies being used to harm people in Gaza but has not publicly released the report. The company has faced ongoing employee dissent over its Israeli contracts since the war began.
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Israel’s military aggression in Gaza has killed nearly 63,000 Palestinians since October 2023 and pushed the enclave to the brink of famine. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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