Microsoft Fires Two Employees For Sit-In Protest At President's Office Over Israel Links

Microsoft fired two of its employees after they participated in a sit-in protest in the company president's office, news agency Reuters reported on Wednesday.

The employees were protesting Microsoft's ties to Israeli military surveillance agencies who allegedly struck deals worth $10 million for supplying the military with its Azure cloud computing and storage services , according to The Guardian, which cited leaked documents and its own personal investigation.

The Guardian report also claimed that the Israeli Defence Forces were storing phone call data obtained from mass surveillance of Palestinian civilians using Microsoft's software.

Around seven protestors occupied Microsoft President Brad Smith's office on Tuesday as a sit-in protest against the software firm's reported involvement.

Anna Hattle and Riki Fameli, the two whose employment was terminated, were a part of this protest. The others were former employees and those outside of the firm.

According to protest group, 'No Azure For Apartheid' (a reference to the company's Azure cloud software), the two were laid off via voicemail.

According to a company representative, the two were let go due to "serious breaches of company policies and code of conduct" due to their "the break-in at the executive offices."

"We are here because Microsoft continues to provide Israel with the tools it needs to commit genocide while gaslighting and misdirecting its own workers about this reality," Hattle stated on Wednesday.

No Azure For Apartheid's main goal is to get Microsoft to sever its deals with Israel and pay Palestinians reparations for its alleged involvement in the Israel-Gaza war.

"We respect the freedom of expression that everyone in this country enjoys as long as they do it lawfully," company President Smith said.

Shortly after the Guardian report, Microsoft made a statement on its blog confirming the Isreal Ministry of Defence as a customer but denying any knowledge of the usage of its software for civilian surveillance.

The company said that it had engaged law firm Covington & Burling LLP to conduct an independent review after concluding that its internal review found no evidence of its software being used to harm people in the conflict.