Apple sending employee donations to Israeli army, illegal settlers: report

Some Apple employees and shareholders have accused the tech company of sending employee donations to organisations that have ties to the Israeli army and illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

According to a report by the American news organisation The Intercept, 133 individuals identifying themselves as "a group of shareholders, current and former employees" wrote an open letter to Apple, expressing concerns about organisations receiving employee donations.

In the letter, Apple was accused of sending employee donations to the Israeli army and organisations connected to illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.

The letter called for an immediate investigation into these allegations and requested that Apple halt donations to "all organisations that further illegal settlements in occupied territories and support the IDF."

The list of organisations eligible for donations includes "Friends of the IDF," which raises funds for the Israeli army, "HaYovel," "One Israel Fund," "the Jewish National Fund," and "IsraelGives," which supports illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.

Apple's management did not respond to questions about the matter.

'Little scrutiny'

In April, Apple employees organised under the name "Apples4Ceasefire" protested the disciplining and dismissal of Apple Store workers who expressed support for Palestinians by wearing keffiyehs, pins, bracelets, or clothing.

Diala Shamas, a senior attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, who described the listed organisations as "the worst actors," said: "Unfortunately, there has been very little scrutiny into 501(c)(3) organisations that openly support illegal activities in the West Bank and Gaza."

Shamas emphasised that US laws against financing activities violating international human rights law are not adequately enforced by the Internal Revenue Service, leaving it to companies and individuals to ensure their contributions do not support organizations potentially engaged in illegal activity.

"Companies often rely on the fact that an organisation has 501(c)(3) status. But regardless of whether an organisation has nonprofit status, it is illegal to aid and abet war crimes," Shamas added.

"Apple should ensure that it is not sending funds to any of these organizations — especially now when there’s no shortage of evidence or information about the unlawful activities of the settlement movement in the (occupied) West Bank."

Friends of the IDF, a charity listed on Apple’s matching donations list, claims to have transferred $34.5 million in donations to the Israeli army in the first weeks following the outbreak of the war in Gaza.

According to a December 2023 analysis by The Guardian, the crowdfunding platform IsraelGives received over $5.3 million in donations within just two months after the war began to support "military, paramilitary, and settlement" activities in the occupied West Bank. The analysis also said this money disproportionately came from US donors.