Google’s controversial role in the destruction of Gaza has been exposed. The technology giant has repeatedly denied being involved in supporting wars or backing Israel in the past, but recently revealed internal documents tell a different story.
These documents show that Google has been assisting the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the Israeli military since 2021, including during the devastating war in Gaza.
According to Al Arabiya, Google employees requested that the Israeli military be granted access to the company’s advanced artificial intelligence and cutting-edge technologies from the early weeks of the Gaza war. This was reported by the Washington Post.
The internal documents reveal that Google directly supported the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the Israeli military, despite publicly claiming that it had distanced itself from Israeli security agencies after employee protests against a ‘cloud computing contract’ with the Israeli government. This agreement is known as the Nimbus Project.
It should be noted that, in response to the protests, Google dismissed over 50 employees last year. The protests stemmed from concerns that Google was supporting military and intelligence programs that harmed Palestinians.
The documents reveal that during the early weeks of the October 7, 2023 attack, an employee from Google’s cloud division advanced a request from the Israeli Ministry of Defense to expand access to the company’s artificial intelligence technology.
Further, one of Google’s employees warned that if the company did not grant Israel immediate access to these technologies, the Israeli military might turn to Google’s rival, Amazon, which is also working with the Israeli government under the Nimbus agreement.
A November 2023 document also shows that the same employee thanked a colleague for assisting with the Israeli Ministry of Defense’s request.
Documents from spring and winter 2024 reveal that Google employees have continued to demand additional access to artificial intelligence technology for the Israeli military’s benefit.
However, the documents do not specify how the Israeli Ministry of Defense plans to use Google’s AI technology or how it could be applied in military operations.
By November 2024, the documents show that the Israeli military continues to exploit Google’s cutting-edge AI technology.
It is important to note that Google had previously confirmed that the purpose of the Nimbus agreement with the Israeli government was not related to secret or military operations involving weapons or intelligence agencies.