Clash of Ideologies: Pro-Palestinian Group Protests Amazon’s Israel Contracts at Amazon Spheres

A group of about two dozen protesters gathered outside the Amazon Spheres in Seattle, carrying bullhorns and signs depicting Amazon executives as war criminals. They were protesting Amazon’s technology support for Israel, particularly in relation to the conflict in Gaza.

The protesters aimed to disrupt a gathering they believed included Amazon executives, state and local leaders, U.S. State Department officials, and Australian government representatives. Amazon, however, stated that the event was for members of Seattle’s business and sports communities, Australian parliamentarians, and Amazon employees celebrating the World Cup.

Amazon spokesperson Montana MacLachlan emphasized the company’s respect for peaceful demonstrations and commitment to being a responsible corporate citizen.

The protest group, known as Amazon Worker Intifada, is escalating pressure on Amazon’s leaders over their collaboration with Israel. They specifically object to Project Nimbus, a contract worth $1.2 billion that Amazon and Google secured to provide cloud and AI services to the Israeli government.

The protesters engaged in chants and displayed signs outside the Spheres, drawing attention from passersby, including Amazon workers and soccer fans. The group’s efforts included releasing balloons with noisemakers attached in an attempt to disrupt the event happening inside.

One of the protest leaders, Ahmed Shahrour, a Palestinian software engineer at Amazon’s Whole Foods division, had been fired previously for criticizing the company’s ties to Israel. Amazon cited policy violations as the reason for his termination.

Another group, No Azure for Apartheid, has been protesting Microsoft over similar concerns regarding its collaboration with Israel. Microsoft faced its own set of protests and employee terminations over these issues.

Following revelations about Microsoft’s involvement in storing intercepted Palestinian phone calls on its Azure cloud, the company took steps to tighten its human-rights controls on work with national security agencies.