Jewish employees of Google have called on the tech company to condemn the actions of the Israeli military as a response to the ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
The group named Jewish Diaspora in Tech describes itself as an association working in the technology industry.
In an internal letter sent to the Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, the group said, We are concerned about the internal discussion around the political and racial violence in Palestine.”
The letter added, “Both Palestinians and Israelis are hurting right now, but neglecting the devastating and fatal attacks faced by Palestinians erases our Palestinian coworkers.”
They urged Google to make a company-wide statement “recognizing the violence in Palestine, which must include immediate recognition of the harm done to Palestinian people by the Israeli military and gang violence.”
The company should also assert its commitment to human rights as “many of Israel’s actions violate the UN human rights laws, which Google is committed to upholding,” the letter said. The Jewish members also demanded the review of contracts and corporate donations with “institutions that support Israeli violations of Palestinian rights.” It mentioned the Israel Defense Forces as an example of such an institution.
The letter also affirmed that “we oppose the conflation of Israel with the Jewish people, affirming that anti-Zionism is not antisemitism.”
According to reports, so far, at least 250 people have signed the letter to Pichai.
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