Since 2014, Amazon has made significant investments in Israel, contributing to illegal settlement programs and extensive surveillance of Palestinians. Israel's ultimate goal is to create biometric profiles and security ratings for every resident of the West Bank, resulting in a dystopian surveillance system. As a Palestinian dual national with a Palestinian ID, I am required to obtain a special permit called a Tasree7 to visit areas of occupied Palestine, a process that can take several months. However, during my recent trip, Israeli forces violently removed me from the bus and subjected me to facial scanning and the recording of personal information, warning me that it would be used against me in the future. Unfortunately, my experience is not an isolated incident. Tech giants like Amazon are sponsoring Israel's apartheid state and occupation, utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and other surveillance technologies to further oppress Palestinians. In the 2021 Operation Guardian of the Walls, where Israel carried out airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, resulting in the displacement of thousands and the death of 256 Palestinians, AI played a significant role as a force multiplier. Companies like Amazon have facilitated what Amnesty International refers to as "automated apartheid. " Recently, Amazon announced an additional $7. 2 billion investment in Israel through 2037, claiming it will benefit Israeli entrepreneurs and businesses. However, the primary beneficiary will be the military, as Amazon Web Services (AWS) will expand "Project Nimbus, " which provides cloud services primarily for Israel's military. This project allows Israeli forces to gather and retain data on Palestinians, enabling surveillance through facial recognition technology. This surveillance infringes on the right to protest and instills a sense of fear among Palestinians, discouraging them from participating in demonstrations. Even if they manage to avoid detainment during a protest, Palestinians are aware that their faces will be captured by numerous watchtowers and checkpoints, leaving them vulnerable to arrest or restricted access to certain sites. Studies have shown a significant decline in protests after the installation of watchtowers and cameras outside Jerusalem's Damascus Gate. The ties between Israel and Amazon run deep, with Amazon supplying 80% of Israel Aerospace Industries' aircrafts as of 2019.

With Amazon's support, Israel Aerospace Industries is implementing autonomous surveillance systems and drones across Gaza and the occupied West Bank. This poses significant risks for Palestinians at the numerous checkpoints throughout the West Bank. While Israeli soldiers have a record of questionable morality in their role as occupiers, relying on highly intelligent technology to make life and death decisions only amplifies the potential for brutality. As a spokeswoman for the rights group B'Tselem stated, "Israel is using technology as a means to control the civil population. " This oppressive environment is fueled by Amazon's investment in Israel, which began in 2014, the same year Israel invaded the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Palestinians, including many children. Since then, Amazon has consistently supported the occupation, employing many illegal settlers through its AWS network, which requires security clearance. AI has been responsible for over 200 Palestinian fatalities this year, as well as the destruction of Palestinian-owned buildings and the displacement of thousands. Amnesty International has documented the use of automated weapons, spyware, and unauthorized biometric systems to strip Palestinians of their basic human rights, including privacy and freedom of movement. Since 1967, over 600, 000 Israeli settlers have settled in the West Bank, displacing millions of Palestinians. Amazon Web Services will contribute to the expansion of these illegal settlement projects, supporting data collection for the Israel Land Authority, which determines which Palestinian villages or towns will be ethnically cleansed to make way for Jewish-only settlements. Additionally, Amazon Web Services will cooperate with Israel's Pegasus spyware, a means of obtaining private information by infiltrating mobile phones and harvesting personal and location data without the user's consent. The "Wolf Pack" program, fortified by Amazon Web Services, aims to create profiles for every Palestinian in the West Bank, storing their biometric data, family histories, and security ratings. These ratings are then used by soldiers to identify and target individuals, branding them as "security threats, " even though under the Geneva and Hague Conventions of the United Nations, Palestinians have the right to armed resistance. Living under constant armed surveillance with every movement monitored, every facial feature scanned, and every word listened to, Palestinians experience a severe curtailment of their freedom as an occupied people. It is crucial to boycott Israel and hold tech giants like Amazon accountable for enabling the apartheid state.