Amazon has suspended a Palestinian software engineer who criticized the company’s business ties with Israel through internal communications, according to CNBC reports. Ahmed Shahrour, who works for Amazon’s Whole Foods division in Seattle, was placed on paid suspension following posts on company Slack channels and a letter to executives including CEO Andy Jassy.“It has come to Amazon’s attention that a post you made in multiple internal company Slack channels may violate multiple policies,” Shahrour received in a message from an Amazon HR rep, per CNBC. The company, as per the message, is said to be investigating the matter. The suspension centres on Shahrour’s opposition to Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion joint cloud computing contract between Amazon, Google, and the Israeli government launched in 2021. In his letter to leadership, the three-year Amazon employee described living in “constant dissonance” while writing code for a company whose profits he believes support Israeli actions in Gaza.
Suspended engineer says Amazon targets pro-Palestinian voices
Shahrour alleges Amazon has systematically suppressed pro-Palestinian employee voices, claiming the company recently warned an engineer for sharing articles about American doctors volunteering in Gaza and terminated a French employee for social media criticism of Israel. He also reports selective content moderation in workplace channels, with pro-Palestinian discussions removed from “Arabs at Amazon” groups while anti-Palestinian posts remain visible elsewhere.Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser declined to address Shahrour’s specific case but said the company doesn’t “tolerate discrimination, harassment, or threatening behavior or language of any kind.” The company revoked Shahrour’s access to email and tools while conducting its investigation.
Similar protests hit Google, Microsoft also
Shahrour’s suspension follows a wave of employee terminations at other major tech companies over Israel-related protests. Microsoft fired four workers in August 2025 after they demonstrated at company headquarters, including two who staged a sit-in at President Brad Smith’s office. The terminated employees were part of the “No Azure for Apartheid” campaign demanding Microsoft cut ties with Israel.Google took similar action earlier, terminating 28 employees in April 2024 following coordinated protests against Project Nimbus at the company’s offices. The demonstrations targeted both the Israeli government contract and internal labor conditions. The two companies have since increased security measures at their offices and conferences.