The latest news on Israel and Palestine. Microsoft has dismissed a small group of employees who staged protests inside its offices against the company's business links with Israel, the protest group No Azure for Apartheid said in a statement on Wednesday.
No Azure for Apartheid had demanded that the company cut its ties to Israel. "We are here because Microsoft continues to provide Israel with the tools it needs to commit genocide while gaslighting and misdirecting its own workers about this reality."
Some workers had occupied the president's office earlier this week, while others had camped outside headquarters, demanding an end to contracts involving Azure cloud services. Meanwhile, the company said they had "created significant safety concerns."
The terminations follow wider criticism after reports revealed Microsoft technology was used by Israeli surveillance agencies. At the same time, the protests add to growing unrest within United States firms facing pressure over their role in the Gaza conflict.