Hundreds of Amazon workers call on Bezos to sever contracts with IDF and support Palestinian rights

Amazon staff call for Jeff Bezos to severe ties with Israeli military among other requests

Jeff Bezos signed a contract for millions of dollars to supply tech services to the IDF, the Israeli army. (AFP via Getty Images)

More than 500 Amazon employees have signed a letter addressed to Jeff Bezos and his replacement Andy Jassey to sever ties with the Israel Defence Forces and support Palestinians.

This comes after the region was afflicted by 11 days of violence that killed 248 people, an estimated 77 being children. On 21 May, a ceasefire was called. The letter to Amazon leaders was first published by The Verge on Tuesday.

“We ask Amazon leadership to acknowledge the continued assault upon Palestinians’ basic human rights under an illegal occupation… without using language that implies a power symmetry or situational equivalency, which minimizes and misrepresents the disruption, destruction, and death that has disproportionately been inflicted upon the Palestinians in recent days and over several decades,” the letter read.

It continued, “Amazon employs Palestinians in Tel Aviv and Haifa offices and around the world. Ignoring the suffering faced by Palestinians and their families at home erases our Palestinian co-workers.”

They ask for the online retail giant to stop supplying businesses that assist in human rights infringements, with the group citing the Israel Defence Forces, who Amazon hold a part of a $1.2 billion contract. Google, who also have experienced a similar call from staff, are part of the same contract.

In a numbered list, the Amazon employees outlined their demands, which include protecting and ensuring freedom of speech, recognising the suffering of Palestinians, establishing a fund for those affected by the military action and increase the priority of human rights in the company’s strategy implementation.

Jewish people working at Google wrote a letter calling on the company to “reject any definition of antisemitism that holds that criticism of Israel or Zionism is antisemitic.”, which was published by The Verge.

Apple Muslim Association appealed to Tim Cook to condemn Israel’s rocket firing, according to a letter also shared by The Verge.

The Verge reports that Muslims working in these industries feel that CEOs are reluctant to show solidarity to the Palestinian Occupied Territories and turn away from human rights violations because the situation is so complicated therefore they feel unappreciated in the industry.

The Independent reached out to Amazon for comment on the demands of the letter.