Nimbus Project documents reveal US technology aiding Tel Aviv’s security apparatus.
The British media outlet added: During negotiations for the $1.2 billion contract known as the Nimbus project in 2021, Israel had asked the two companies to indirectly notify Tel Aviv of this issue using a “secret code” whenever they were forced to provide Israeli information to foreign governments or courts.
According to documents from the Zionist Ministry of Finance that were leaked to the media, this notification is made through so-called “compensation” payments, the amount of which is determined according to the telephone code of the country requesting the data; for example, if a request is received from the United States with the code +1, an amount of 1,000 shekels is paid to Israel.
Sources familiar with the Guardian publications say that Google and Amazon agreed to unprecedented terms to secure the lucrative deal, which include a ban on restricting or cutting off access to Israeli security and military agencies, even if the use of these technologies violates international law or the companies’ internal policies.
The US companies have also agreed to “adapt their internal processes” and give priority to Tel Aviv’s demands.
In addition, these clauses are included to prevent the companies from taking action in response to international pressure or human rights criticism of Israel’s use of surveillance technologies in the occupied territories, and the Nimbus plan ensures that Google and Amazon will not block Israeli agencies’ access to their cloud technologies under any circumstances.
The British media outlet continues its report by writing that Microsoft was left out due to its refusal to accept some of Israel’s demands. The company last month cut off the Israeli military’s access to some of its cloud services after it was confirmed that Israeli forces were using the Azure platform to store and analyze the phone calls of Palestinian citizens.