LONDON: Microsoft workers and activists are continuing to demand that the tech giant cut all ties with Israel, even after the company halted access to some Azure cloud and artificial intelligence services for a key Israeli military unit.
On Thursday, protesters unfurled banners at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, one reading “MICROSOFT BUILD KILLS,” adorned with images of warplanes and missiles dropping from the Azure cloud logo.
The demonstration followed news that Microsoft had ended Israeli military Unit 8200’s access to certain Azure services, after reports that its technology was used in a surveillance system collecting millions of Palestinian phone calls in Gaza and the West Bank.
The campaign, led by current and former Microsoft employees under the banner “No Azure for Apartheid,” says these steps do not go far enough.
“Even after announcing the Unit 8200 cut, why does Microsoft continue to shut down the conversation? It’s the only way they can continue to get away with their half-measure,” said Scott Suftin-Glowski, a former Microsoft worker who resigned in protest, accusing the company of “continued complicity in genocide.”
Suftin-Glowski and fellow demonstrators gathered at what they dubbed the “Martyred Palestinian Children’s Plaza” outside the East Campus, distributing flyers demanding that Microsoft end all contracts with Israeli authorities, conduct a transparent, independent audit of its technology and investments, and ensure protections for Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim employees.
The group also called for transparency about Microsoft’s Israeli business ties, a full investigation of contracts in line with the Geneva Conventions, and support for Amazon workers opposing the transfer of surveillance data from Azure to Amazon Web Services.
Recent reports, including an expose in The Guardian, revealed Microsoft data centers hosted vast troves of phone call recordings swept up by Israeli military surveillance.
Microsoft responded by severing a limited set of services for the unit in question, but, under pressure from campaigners, has not ended all business with Israel’s government or military.
“No Azure for Apartheid” called Microsoft’s partial step “an unprecedented win” achieved through sustained pressure but said it remains “insufficient,” demanding a full termination of all Azure contracts with the Israeli government and military.
The protests are unfolding as a Gaza ceasefire negotiated by Hamas and Israel, with US President Donald Trump’s administration brokering the deal, goes into effect after two years of war.
Despite the breakthrough and expected release of hostages and prisoners, observers stress that major risks and unresolved issues remain.
