Apple staff petitions severance from pro-Israel organisations
Employees and shareholders at Apple published an open letter on June 12th urging the company to stop an alleged scheme of matching employee donations to organisations tied to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and settlements in the West Bank, The New Arab and agencies reported.
Over 140 people signed the letter — including former employees and staff in customer relations, product design, software engineering, Apple solutions, finance, programme management, among other roles. It follows a previous statement from Apple employees calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and for the company to investigate its links to pro-IDF organisations.
These organisations — including Friends of Israel Defence Forces, HaYovel Inc, One Israel Fund and Israel Gives — collect donations on behalf of Israeli soldiers, contribute to the expansion of illegal settlements within occupied Palestinian territory and the protection of their Israeli settlers.
READ: McDonald’s forced to buy back Israeli franchises amidst boycott
The letter stated that employees stand in solidarity with campaign Apples4ceasefire, which works to “get executive leadership at @apple to end their silence on the Palestinian suffering in Gaza,” as stated in its Instagram bio.
“We are amplifying that message and asking that Apple must promptly investigate and cease matching donations to all organisations that further illegal settlements in occupied territories and support the IDF,” the letter read. “Such support directly contravenes international law and our organisation’s purported commitment to human rights as well as matching cause eligibility.”
The signatories state that any delay or lack of response from Apple will risk undermining trust in their commitment to safety, community, justice and human rights.
In April, nearly 300 present and former staff members signed an open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook with concerns that the company had yet to acknowledge the suffering of Palestinians, in which workers expressed their “disappointment and shock at the lack of care and understanding this company has given the Palestinian community.”
The New Arab and agencies
