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- Appeal follows revelations that cloud infrastructure used by Israeli intelligence
LONDON: Microsoft must suspend business activities that are contributing to grave human rights violations and international crimes by the Israeli military and government authorities, leading human rights organizations said in a joint statement published on Friday.
Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Access Now, and several other rights groups jointly urged the US tech giant to “avoid complicity” in what they described as Israel’s ongoing atrocities against Palestinians. The appeal followed revelations that Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure was being used by Israeli intelligence for surveillance and targeting operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
An investigation in August by The Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Local Call reported that Israel’s elite military intelligence unit, Unit 8200, was using Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform to process vast troves of intercepted Palestinian communications.
Following the report, Microsoft announced on Sept. 25 that it had disabled specific subscriptions and services linked to the Israeli military, including access to certain cloud storage and artificial intelligence tools, pending a review of the allegations.
“Microsoft has taken an important first step toward restricting the use of specific technologies by a unit within the Israeli military for repressing Palestinians,” said Deborah Brown, deputy director for technology and rights at Human Rights Watch. “It should comprehensively review its business relationships with Israeli authorities and take action to ensure its infrastructure and tools are not complicit in Israel’s extermination of Palestinians and other serious abuses.”
The company said it will formally respond to the joint letter by the end of October after completing its internal investigation and recommendations.
Human Rights Watch noted that Microsoft should already have conducted “heightened human rights due diligence” given Israel’s long-standing occupation and documented abuses against Palestinians. Reports by the UN, global media, and human rights groups have repeatedly warned of the risks posed by technology companies working with Israeli authorities.
The organizations said that data-driven systems and AI tools used by Israeli forces, including for surveillance and targeting in Gaza, raised serious concerns under international humanitarian law — particularly regarding the distinction between combatants and civilians.
The rights groups cited findings that Israeli authorities had carried out crimes against humanity — including extermination, apartheid, and persecution — as well as acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing. They accused Israel of violating binding orders by the International Court of Justice.
The media investigation found that Israel’s surveillance program, powered by Azure, stores millions of recorded mobile calls. Sources from Unit 8200 said the data had been used to identify bombing targets in Gaza and to “blackmail, detain, or justify the killing” of Palestinians in the West Bank. Microsoft’s own preliminary review reportedly “found evidence supporting elements of The Guardian’s reporting.”
Israel’s assault on Gaza has resulted in the deaths of more than 67,000 Palestinians, including at least 20,000 children, according to figures cited by Human Rights Watch. The bombardment has destroyed most of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, including homes, schools, and hospitals.
Rights organizations say Israel’s extensive surveillance of Palestinians — enabled by advanced technologies — has been instrumental in the systematic oppression of the population and in the commission of war crimes.
Under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which Microsoft publicly endorses, companies must avoid causing or contributing to abuses and mitigate risks directly linked to their operations or partnerships.
“There is no time to delay,” Brown said. “Microsoft should take decisive action to ensure it is not profiting from grave human rights abuses of Palestinians.”