Profit Over Blood: UN Report Reveals Global Corporations' Involvement in the Genocide of Palestinians

In a damning revelation, a new report from the United Nations uncovers the involvement of over 60 major international corporations in supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the ongoing war on Gaza.

Authored by Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, the report offers one of the most comprehensive and bold indictments of how profit motives have become deeply intertwined with crimes against the Palestinian people.

A Profitable War: Global Corporations Complicit in Gaza’s Destruction

The report is based on over 200 submissions from countries, human rights organizations, academics, and corporate entities. These submissions collectively call for an end to all business operations with Israel and demand legal and financial accountability for the companies involved, who are seen as benefiting from the structural conflict in Palestine.

Among the corporations named are

• Google (Alphabet Inc.)

• Microsoft

• Amazon

• IBM

• Caterpillar

• Lockheed Martin

• Hyundai Heavy Industries

• Leonardo

• Palantir Technologies

These companies were accused of

Powering surveillance systems used in Israeli military and security operations.

Manufacturing and supplying weapons used in attacks on Gaza.

Providing heavy machinery that has facilitated the destruction of Palestinian homes and infrastructure.

Francesca Albanese emphasized that these companies are “financially tied to Israeli militarization and racial discrimination,” and their operations raise serious concerns of complicity in grave violations of international law.

Beyond the West Bank: Shifting the Lens to Gaza

Unlike a previous 2023 UN list that focused solely on businesses linked to settlements in the West Bank, the new report expands the scope to include those aiding the massive destruction in Gaza. Albanese places the issue within a broader framework:

“While life is being erased in Gaza and violence escalates in the West Bank, this report shows that what we call genocide is ongoing simply because it is profitable for many actors.”

Specific Allegations: From Missiles to Machine Learning

The report elaborates on the involvement of several companies:

Lockheed Martin and Leonardo were implicated in supplying weapons likely used in Gaza. A Lockheed Martin spokesperson responded that their contracts are executed between governments, primarily under U.S. federal jurisdiction.

Caterpillar and Hyundai Heavy Industries were accused of supplying bulldozers and machinery used to demolish Palestinian homes, contributing to what the report describes as partial destruction of civilian infrastructure.

Alphabet (Google), Microsoft, Amazon, and IBM were described as essential to Israel’s surveillance infrastructure, enabling digital repression and aiding military action against civilians. Google had previously stated that its $1.2 billion cloud services contract with Israel does not support military or intelligence uses, yet the report notes a lack of transparency around actual applications.

Palantir Technologies was cited for providing AI-based technologies used by the Israeli military, although specific operational details remain unclear.

Israel and the U.S. Lash Out: A Diplomatic Offensive

Israel’s mission in Geneva dismissed the report as legally flawed and defamatory, accusing it of undermining the credibility of the United Nations. The U.S. mission to the UN in New York went further, calling on Secretary-General António Guterres to publicly condemn and remove Albanese, claiming her reports are part of a coordinated economic attack on companies aligned with Israel.

A War of Justification: 56,000 Dead and a Territory in Ruins

The report stresses that Israel continues to justify its military campaign under the pretext of “self-defense” following the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7, 2023, while committing catastrophic human rights violations.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 56,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority of whom are women and children. The entire territory has been reduced to rubble under constant bombardment and a suffocating blockade.

Albanese warns that the war’s continuation is driven not only by security objectives but by business interests, arguing:

“As long as profit is involved, genocide continues. This is not only about military spending; it’s about lucrative business deals struck on the backs of civilians.”

Toward Justice or Another Forgotten Report?

The report is expected to be presented soon to the UN Human Rights Council, composed of 47 member states. While the Council lacks binding enforcement powers, such reports often serve as foundational documents for legal proceedings in international courts.

Nevertheless, both the U.S. and Israel withdrew from the Council earlier this year, accusing it of bias, a move that could further shield them and their partners from accountability, despite growing international pressure.

A Market Built on Massacre

This UN report paints a chilling picture: the war on Gaza is not just a geopolitical conflict; it’s a death economy sustained by some of the world’s most powerful corporations. From cloud computing to bulldozers, from AI to missiles, the machinery of occupation is powered by global supply chains and protected by political alliances.

Without serious consequences or global regulatory pressure, the suffering of Palestinians remains profitable, and justice remains elusive.

Sources:

Al Jazeera + Reuters