UN Report Exposes Corporate Profiteering from Occupation
On 16 June 2025, UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese released a powerful report titled From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide. Spanning thirty-nine pages, the document sheds light on how global corporations are profiting from Israel’s occupation and genocide of Palestinians.
Among those named are corporate giants such as Amazon, Google, BlackRock, Volvo, and Lockheed Martin, along with prestigious academic institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). According to the report, these entities are deeply invested in the displacement of Palestinians and the settlement of Israeli colonists. Albanese’s call to action was straightforward: stop fueling genocide and cut ties with Israel.
US Sanctions on a UN Expert
Instead of debating the findings, the global spotlight shifted when the United States sanctioned Albanese on 9 July 2025. The sanctions froze her property in the US and restricted her movement, with Washington accusing her of “antisemitism” and “support for terrorism.”
The United Nations strongly condemned the move, warning that such unilateral sanctions on UN officials set a dangerous precedent. As UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated:
“The use of sanctions against Special Rapporteurs or any UN official is unacceptable.”
This controversy overshadowed the heart of Albanese’s report: the systematic profiteering from Palestinian suffering.
Clouds of Genocide: The Role of Tech Giants
The report highlights how corporations in defense, finance, education, and technology have become complicit in Israel’s war machine.
A key example is Project Nimbus—a $1.2 billion cloud contract shared by Amazon and Google, which provides services to nearly all branches of the Israeli government, including the military, police, and prison system. Microsoft’s Azure platform also supports Israel’s intelligence and military infrastructure.
Israeli army officials openly describe these services as “weapons platforms.” These companies not only provide surveillance tools but also create a “shield from accountability” by storing critical data in protected servers, making prosecution for war crimes harder.
In response, campaigns such as No Tech for Apartheid have emerged, with tech workers at Google and Amazon refusing to build tools that “enable genocide and surveillance.” Many employees were fired, yet protests continue worldwide.
Palantir: Technology of Oppression
Founded in 2003 by billionaire Peter Thiel, Palantir has become another major player. Originally funded by the CIA, Palantir provides AI-driven surveillance and targeting systems to Israel. Its TITAN system is reportedly used for precision strikes in Gaza—strikes that have overwhelmingly killed civilians.
Palantir’s CEO, Alex Karp, openly admitted in 2025 that his technology was used to kill “mostly terrorists,” despite UN data showing that the vast majority of casualties in Gaza are women, children, and other civilians.
This makes Palantir not just complicit but an active participant in war crimes, according to Albanese’s report.
Corporate Profits from Occupation
For decades, watchdogs and UN agencies have documented how Israel generates billions from the illegal occupation of Palestinian lands. UNCTAD estimates that Israel earns at least $41 billion annually from the West Bank alone.
Multinational corporations—from Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, TripAdvisor, Motorola, and General Mills—have been accused of profiteering from illegal settlements. Airbnb, for instance, continues to list hundreds of properties in occupied territory despite global criticism and ongoing lawsuits in Ireland, the UK, and the US.
Meanwhile, extractive industries and chemical companies exploit Palestinian land and natural resources, leaving behind environmental destruction and health crises for Palestinian communities.
Spyware and Surveillance as Business
The occupation has also turned Palestinians into test subjects for surveillance technologies. Tools like Pegasus spyware, developed with the help of Israel’s Unit 8200, have been sold to repressive regimes worldwide to monitor activists and journalists.
By 2020, Israeli cyber firms controlled nearly one-third of global cybersecurity investment, exporting billions worth of surveillance technology. These systems have been used for mass data collection, election manipulation, and authoritarian crackdowns globally.
Exposing the “Genocide Gentry”
Activists have now turned their focus to the executives of major arms manufacturers—Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Elbit, and RTX. A project called Genocide Gentry maps their influence, corporate networks, and ties to cultural institutions.
For example, Kathy Warden, CEO of Northrop Grumman, sits on the board of a nonprofit that advocates women’s rights—even as her company’s weapons are linked to the deaths of tens of thousands of women in Gaza. This hypocrisy has become a powerful tool for campaigners to pressure cultural and educational institutions to cut ties with arms companies.
Some victories have already been seen. In 2024, musicians boycotted the SXSW festival in Texas after learning that arms manufacturers were sponsors. Within months, the festival announced it would end those partnerships.
Conclusion: Profits Over People
The evidence is overwhelming. Multinational corporations—from tech giants to arms dealers—are not passive bystanders; they are active profiteers in the genocide of Palestinians. Their technologies, services, and financial networks sustain the occupation and fuel atrocities.
