Microsoft Bars Employees From Using the Word ‘Palestine’ in Internal Emails

The American website Drop Site News published a report on May 22 stating that Microsoft has banned internal emails containing words related to the Israeli war on Gaza. In recent weeks, Microsoft implemented a new policy prohibiting internal emails on its servers that include terms such as “Palestine,” “Gaza,” or “genocide.”

The existence of this automated filter, which invisibly blocks such emails from reaching recipients, was revealed on Wednesday following a series of disruptions at the company’s developers conference. This information was reported by No Azure for Apartheid, a group of pro-Palestine employees within the company.

According to the group, words such as “Israel” and “P4lestine” do not trigger the email bans. It is also noted that Microsoft did not respond to questions regarding these measures.

Reports Allege Microsoft’s Collaboration With Israeli Military During War on Gaza

In a January report published by Misbar, an investigative piece based on leaked internal documents revealed that tech giant Microsoft was a key provider of cloud computing and artificial intelligence services to the Israeli military during the war on Gaza that began on October 7, 2023.

The documents were obtained by the website Drop Site News and shared with The Guardian and the independent Israeli-Palestinian magazine 972, which previously exposed Israel’s use of AI systems in its aerial campaign over Gaza.

The leaked files show that Microsoft’s relationship with the Israeli military is deeper and more lucrative than previously known, especially during the conflict. The company reportedly expanded its cooperation with Israel’s Ministry of Defense after the war started, providing enhanced computing and storage services and signing contracts worth at least $10 million to deliver thousands of hours of technical support. Additional support projects valued at $30 million were reportedly under consideration for 2024. The full scope of Microsoft’s contract with Israel remains unclear but is believed to be much larger than the available documents suggest.

Interviews with sources inside Israel’s defense and intelligence community further revealed the military’s growing reliance on major U.S. tech firms such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google to store and analyze vast amounts of intelligence data over long periods, highlighting the increasing role of technology in modern warfare.

The documents, which include business records from Israel’s Ministry of Defense and files from Microsoft’s Israeli branch, show that Microsoft products—especially its Azure cloud platform—were used by various units across the air, land, and naval forces, as well as the military intelligence directorate. Azure supported both combat and intelligence operations and was considered a trusted partner by the Ministry of Defense.

The Israeli military also used Microsoft services for administrative tasks, including email and file management systems, demonstrating the extensive integration of Microsoft technology within the military.

Microsoft Denies Use of Its Software in Israeli War on Gaza

In response to accusations of collaborating with the Israeli military, Microsoft released a report stating that an internal investigation found no evidence its operations caused harm to civilians in Gaza.

However, reports and investigations by various media outlets and platforms, including Misbar, suggest Microsoft provides the Israeli military with a range of technologies, notably artificial intelligence systems.

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