Microsoft’s complicity in Israel’s occupation, apartheid, and genocide is well documented through its strong ties to the Israeli military, its collaboration with Israeli government ministries, and its involvement in the Israeli prison system, which is notorious for systematic torture and abuse of Palestinians. Microsoft knowingly provides Israel with technology including artificial intelligence (AI) that is deployed to facilitate grave human rights violations, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, including apartheid and genocide.
In 2002, Microsoft participated in the largest software deal in Israel at the time. The $35 million contract provided the Israeli military and government with “unlimited products” and committed to “broadly exchange ‘knowledge’ with the army.” Microsoft has since expanded its partnerships with the Israeli apartheid regime.
Microsoft provides the Israeli military with Azure cloud, AI, and storage services, which are crucial in automating Israel’s atrocity crimes in Gaza. The Israeli military uses AI and cloud technologies, including from “civilian clouds” like Azure, to construct a “weapons platform” and a “mass assassination factory” that automate and accelerate Israel’s crimes through systems such as the Gospel, Lavender, and Where’s Daddy.
The Israeli military’s Unit 8200 (spy agency) stored Palestinian phone calls on Azure since 2022 in a project that only took Satya Nadella 10 minutes to green-light as “an incredibly powerful brand moment” in a 2021 meeting with the unit’s leader, Yossi Sariel.
Microsoft engineers and the Israeli military intelligence divisions, including Unit 8200, directly collaborate, sometimes on-site in Israeli army bases, to develop surveillance systems to monitor Palestinians, including in a customized and hardened public cloud implementation that is “carefully tailored to the unit’s needs”. The Israeli military has a dedicated Microsoft team tending to its account, including a senior executive who served 14 years in Unit 8200 and a former IT leader for military intelligence.
The Israeli military’s reliance on Microsoft’s Azure cloud technology and AI services has surged during its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
The Israeli military is a Microsoft S500 (top 500) customer, meaning that it gets top priority status as one of the company’s most important customers globally. The Israeli military is the second largest military Microsoft customer. In 2021, Microsoft expected its partnership with Unit 8200 of the Israeli military to generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the company over a 5-year period because the unit’s leadership intended to multiply the amount of data stored in Microsoft servers “tenfold” over the next few years. Additionally, in 2021, Microsoft signed a three-year contract with the Israeli Ministry of Defense worth $133 million.
Microsoft’s staff and contractors provide specialized consulting and technical support both remotely and on military bases. In Satya’s 10-minute meeting with Unit 8200 general Yossi Sariel, he committed to “providing resources to support” the Israeli military. Between October 2023 and June 2024 alone, the Israeli military spent $10 million to purchase 19,000 hours of engineering support from Microsoft. Half of Microsoft’s consulting revenue is from the Israeli military. In the first 10 months of the war, the Israeli military opened 130 support requests to Microsoft.
Microsoft has a “footprint in all major military infrastructures” in Israel. The Israeli military’s service agreements with Microsoft include more than 635 individual subscriptions listed under specific divisions, units, bases or project code words such as:
Microsoft works in collaboration with the Israeli military’s Center of Computing and Information Systems (known by its acronym Mamram). The unit is responsible for the IOF’s computing software and is essential for every modern function played by the Israeli military.
Microsoft Azure currently hosts the IOF Reservists portal which has received a six-fold increase in visits since the start of the genocide and serves as the key website for reservists to sign up, process documents, view payslips, etc.
Microsoft provides training directly to the Israeli military. In April 2024, Microsoft Israel hosted a group from the “Combatants to Hi-Tech” program, held in collaboration with the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the Israeli army, for a TypeScript workshop developed in Microsoft, a lecture and a tour given by the company’s employees. The “Combatants to Hi-Tech” program is a prestigious program designed to integrate combat fighters into the high-tech industry using their combat experience. The Microsoft Israel site also hosted a training conference for the Israeli military Lotem unit to learn about Kubernetes, cyber defense, and more. Microsoft also provides free training for discharged Israeli soldiers.
Microsoft Azure hosts software used for training of Israeli Occupation Forces. Elbit Systems is one of Israel’s largest military contractors providing military technology. In 2022, Elbit Systems announced that their new military simulation software, OneSim, would run on Microsoft Azure. As part of a $107 million contract, OneSim is used in advanced IDF training centers to mimic real-life “battle scenarios” for tank crews, thereby enabling IDF’s ongoing occupation. Cognata’s off-road AV simulation software, which was developed in partnership with Microsoft and runs on Azure, was sold to the Israeli military. In 2022, Cognata’s CEO Danny Atsmon said “Cognata is proud to be chosen and work with The Ministry of Defense, supporting and accelerating the IDF development needs.”
Microsoft provides communications software to the Israeli military. The Israeli air force uses “Microsoft’s suite of communications and messaging systems”. Satellite communications developed by Microsoft strategic defense partner, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, used by the Israeli military are built using Microsoft Azure Orbital.
Microsoft provides cloud and AI infrastructure to Palantir, a company dubbed “the AI arms dealer of the 21st Century.” The Israeli military uses Palantir’s AI targeting platform powered by massive troves of data collected on Palestinians and hosted in part on Microsoft servers. Palantir’s CEO Alex Karp openly admits that the product is “used on occasion to kill people.”
Microsoft celebrates its partnership with the Israeli military. Microsoft proudly shows off their employees who commit genocide in Gaza on its Microsoft Israel Facebook page. Microsoft holds stand up comedy events and mental health workshops for its military employees. Microsoft also held a “Defense Tech” conference at their Microsoft Israel office in the middle of a genocide. Of course Microsoft employees are belligerent enough to take pictures of themselves sniping Palestinian children’s Hello Kitty blankets in Gaza, making jokes of their unit’s “deliberate targeting and extrajudicial killing of Palestinian women and children”, and threaten to kill Palestinians en-masse (“45,000 Palestinians died yet… more to come… man, woman, elders, children… we will kill you all… amen”).
The “Al Munaseq” app, hosted on Microsoft Azure, partly in Irish data centers, and developed by the Israeli Ministry of Defense, is used by the Israeli “Civil Administration” to manage apartheid permits for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. The Israeli military uses the app to collect surveillance data such as personal data, notifications received, files downloaded, and the device’s camera and makes use of the information collected for any purpose, as cited in app’s End-User-License Agreement (EULA).
Microsoft partners directly with Mekorot, the Israeli national water company, described by the Palestinian Environmental NGO Network as “the main Israeli body responsible for orchestrating and sustaining Israel’s control and theft of Palestinian water and the denial of the Palestinian right to water.” Mekorot was cited in the International Court of Justice’s July 19 2024 Advisory Opinion under “Exploitation of natural resources” which reported that Israel prioritizes the water supply of illegal settlements which causes Palestinians to suffer from lengthy and frequent water outages. Mekorot was also named in Amnesty International’s 2017 report: “The Occupation of Water.” On October 9th, 2023, Mekorot cut off all water to Gaza. Since then, an extremely limited amount of water has been supplied, but due to deliberate damage, constant cut offs, a lack of fuel to pump water, and frequent displacement, the amount of water available is criminally inadequate. Not only is Mekorot a Microsoft Azure customer, but it also partners with Microsoft for Startups to fund R2 Wireless to provide the Israeli military with espionage technology. Mekorot relies on Razor Labs, which runs its software on Azure for procurement of Microsoft AI services.
Israel Electric Corporation, the Israeli national electricity company, is a Microsoft Azure customer. Their website uses Microsoft’s Azure Monitor Application Insights. Israel Electric Corporation cut off electricity to Gaza, forcing wastewater treatment plants and sewage pumping stations to shut down, causing mass dehydration, outbreaks of waterborne diseases, and killing crops from a lack of irrigation. No electricity also means that food cannot be refrigerated or frozen, further exacerbating the US-Israeli-manufactured, catastrophic famine.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s office spent over $3 million on licenses in 2023 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, SQL Database, Sharepoint, PowerBI, Office and Windows, Microsoft Project, Visio, Remote Desktop and “Nimbus-compatible cloud solutions.” In 2024 and 2025, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office spent at least a total of $2,477,677 on Microsoft licenses and support.
Microsoft Israel has been repeatedly contracted by the Israeli Police, often with exemptions from tender, to provide various software, cloud, and licensing services totaling millions of USD. Between just November and December of 2023, the Israeli Police spent nearly $2 million on Azure services and support engineering. In January 2024, Microsoft Israel was contracted by the Israel Police as sole supplier to provide Microsoft Premier expert services and maintenance until the end of December 2026 for $970,000. Between January and June of 2024, the Israeli police spent $463,577 on Azure licenses.
Microsoft has provided Microsoft Cloud Services (MCS) to the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) since at least 2017. The Israeli Prison service spent about $1 million on Microsoft licenses for 2025. In 2025, the Israeli Prison Service spent $676,945 on Microsoft licenses.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) partnered with Microsoft XBox to develop military tank controls, which have been sold to the Israeli military. Gyptol, a partner of IAI is a part of Microsoft’s Startup Hub, receiving investment from Microsoft. Microsoft has also provided IAI AI technology. Microsoft hosts IAI developed training on Azure. IAI has also presented at Microsoft Israel events.
Elbit Systems and Microsoft have partnered in investments. Israeli military armored tank personnel take Elbit System built training, OneSim, which runs on Microsoft Azure. Microsoft announced a $3 billion investment in India to build new data centers for Microsoft cloud and AI. At least one of the companies Microsoft is working with to build these new data centers is Adani Group. Adani Group has a joint venture with Elbit Systems and partners with them in drone manufacturing. Elbit Systems has also presented at Microsoft Israel events.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Microsoft have a long history of partnerships and acquisitions. Refael partner, Airobotics partnered with ShotSpotter and the Israeli police in 2021 to deploy a faulty, racist gunshot “detection” system. The true purpose of ShotSpotter is to surveil communities of color in the US and in Palestine. Microsoft has heavily invested in Airobotics. mPrest, a Microsoft certified partner whose software is available on Azure that is 50% owned by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, partners with the Israeli Air Force on different weaponry.
While not explicitly a weapons manufacturer, Israel Chemicals Ltd (ICL Group) provides the white phosphorus that the Israeli military illegally uses in densely populated areas. Skin exposure to white phosphorus leads to severe burns. Consumption of white phosphorus can be toxic, leading to severe kidney, liver, and heart damage. Rainwater can be contaminated by white phosphorus in the air, further contaminating soil and water sources. Food grown in this polluted soil with poisoned water is also contaminated. Israel Chemicals Ltd rely on Microsoft Azure Quantam Elements for chemical development and have had many partnerships over the years.
In December of 2023, “Mikveh Yisrael Forum”, a group made up of Israeli militants, politicians and business people, began to formally organize to weaponize and control aid in Gaza, eventually leading to the formation of the so-called “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” (GHF) and its subsequent massacres of Palestinians. Multiple key members of “Mikveh Yisrael Forum” have ties to Microsoft.
Michael Eisenberg, who hosted meetings for “Mikveh Yisrael Forum” at his house, is the co-founder of Aleph, which has a major partnership with Microsoft Advertising in Europe. Eisenberg has also presented at events held by Microsoft Israel.
Liran Tancman, a “Mikveh Yisrael Forum” member and COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories) officer (an Israeli militant responsible for depriving Palestinians of basic essentials) is the CEO of the startup Rezilion. Rezilion received funding from Microsoft and its software is sold on Microsoft Marketplace.
Both Eisenberg and Tancman met with Phillip Reilly, ex-CIA, in early 2024 specifically to discuss aid in Gaza. Reilly is the CEO of Safe Reach Solutions, the private security company that GHF hired to shoot starving Palestinians. In late 2024, Reilly had developed alongside the Israeli military studies to plan the “outsource [of] food aid delivery to private companies and foundations.” Tancman’s then-role was to liaise between the American executives and the Israeli military.
The Tachlith Institute for Israeli Public Policy developed the GHF plans for the number of security officers, weapons, and armored vehicles needed. The plan also called to monitor Gaza 24/7 with drones and to eventually reach a final phase of developing small “Humanitarian Transition Areas” where Palestinians in Gaza would live under armed Israeli control (a.k.a concentration camps) with biometric identification before being allowed food.
Tachlith’s Head of Research, Elad Gil, has received finances directly from Microsoft for Startups. He has also personally met with Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella and interviewed him in November 2023, less than 1 month into the genocide.
Boston Consulting Group (BCG) developed financial models for GHF for displacing huge numbers of Palestinians outside of Gaza. BCG relies on Microsoft AI tools to deliver its models and solutions to its customers.
For more information on how Microsoft is embedded into Israel’s starvation of Gaza see: noaa.cc/microsoft-powered-starvation
Microsoft services and collaborates with Ariel University, located in the illegal settlement of Ariel in the West Bank, providing free software services, Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate courses to students, and sponsoring the Ariel University hackathon. Microsoft signed an agreement with Ariel University to provide email services for all current and graduated students
Microsoft provides financial support to organizations based in Israeli colonial settlements in the illegally occupied Palestinian West Bank, including at least one that fundraises to support the Israeli military, in its employee charitable giving platform. The organizations are the Ma’aleh Adumim Foundation, Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces, and the Megillot Dead Sea Rescue Team.
The Education Department of the Ma’ale Adumim settlement in the occupied West Bank began a joint venture with Microsoft to use Microsoft software for all students and teachers within the settlement in 2019. Microsoft employees hold technical trainings for the department on the usage of Microsoft software.
Microsoft has invested millions of dollars into Israeli startups specializing in war technology. In 2020, Microsoft faced internal and external pressure from employees and human rights groups for its investments in AnyVision, an Israeli company that makes surveillance technology that is used to surveil Palestinians in the illegally occupied West Bank, violating Microsoft’s ethical standards for facial recognition technology as well as violating international law. This pressure successfully forced M12, Microsoft’s venture capital fund, to pull out of its AnyVision investment. However, Microsoft continues to invest in and partner with Israeli start-ups that violate the company’s ethical standards.
Israeli cybersecurity startups that developed software hosted on Azure have been used to unethically surveil Palestinians and other communities of color across the globe. Cellebrite, an Azure customer platformed on Microsoft’s security blog, and Cobwebs’ technology was used by the IOF to hack into thousands of Palestinians’ phones and computers. In 2025, the Israeli police spent $52,538,704 on deals with Cellebrite for forensic analysis.
Voyager Labs, an Israeli Microsoft “defense and intelligence” partner, which is currently being sued by Meta, provided surveillance software to the Los Angeles Police Department to racially profile Arabs and Muslims and also provided the surveillance software to the Colombian military to target journalists. Cognyte Technology, another Israeli startup reliant on Microsoft, sold spyware to a Myanmar state-backed telecommunications firm a month before the 2021 military coup, to National Security Service in South Sudan, and to the Israeli military from the start of the Gaza genocide.