Web Summit CEO Says Israel Commits War Crimes

Gaza, MINA – Web Summit CEO Paddy Cosgrave has resigned amid backlash over his criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Cosgrave’s comments questioning Israel’s war crimes sparked mass boycotts of tech giants and accusations of anti-Semitism.

Cosgrave is the executive chairman of one of the world’s largest technology conferences Web Summit. He condemned Western leaders’ rhetoric regarding Israel’s bombing of Gaza.

“I am shocked by the rhetoric and actions of so many Western leaders and governments, with the notable exception of the Irish government, which for once is doing the right thing. “War crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies, and must be exposed for what they are,” said Cosgrave, reported by Middle East Monitor on Monday.

However, Cosgrave’s criticism sparked a strong reaction. Former Facebook executive David Marcus accused Cosgrave of supporting terrorists and vowed to no longer attend the huge annual event.

When other Big Tech companies, such as Google and Amazon, withdrew their sponsorship. This pressure campaign succeeded in ousting Cosgrave as founder of Web Summit from the organization he had led since 2009. Meanwhile, 81 percent of his shareholding was still in limbo.

The incident highlights how critics of Israel’s policies face character assassination, harassment and threats to their lives. Calls to comply with international law are considered to be promotion of terrorism.

Although Cosgrave resigned to save the conference, his personal reputation was destroyed simply for standing up for human rights principles. This climate of intimidation and censorship inhibits open debate about the Israeli-Palestinian war. This allows Israel to gain impunity while demonizing dissent. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)