{"id":112351,"date":"2026-05-13T18:49:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T18:49:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/112351\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T18:49:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T18:49:41","slug":"microsoft-israel-head-ousted-reportedly-over-idfs-controversial-use-of-cloud-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/112351\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft Israel head ousted reportedly over IDF’s controversial use of cloud tech"},"content":{"rendered":"

Microsoft\u2019s Israel general manager Alon Haimovich will be stepping down, following the findings of an internal review into the alleged unethical use of the US tech giant\u2019s Azure cloud platform by Israel\u2019s military, according to a report by Israeli financial daily Globes.<\/p>\n

Microsoft announced Haimovich\u2019s departure last week but gave no reason.<\/p>\n

The move comes after Microsoft last year initiated a review of its dealings with the Military Intelligence Directorate\u2019s Unit 8200 in response to a report by the UK\u2019s Guardian and the far-left activist outlet +972 Magazine. The report claimed that Azure software was used to store countless recordings of mobile phone calls made by Palestinians living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n

In September, Microsoft cut<\/a> some of the Israeli army\u2019s access to certain cloud services over the use of its Azure cloud platform for expansive surveillance of Palestinians, and alleged violation of the company\u2019s terms of service.<\/p>\n

Haimovich, who is leaving after four years in the position, was reportedly summoned in recent weeks by an investigative team led by Microsoft\u2019s global management, according to Globes. The investigation is said to have centered around violations of Microsoft\u2019s code of ethics amid concerns that the company\u2019s Israel subsidiary was not fully transparent with global headquarters about how the IDF\u2019s 8200 unit uses its cloud platform and technology systems.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tSign up for the Tech Israel Daily
\n\t\t\tand never miss Israel’s top tech stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n

Several managers in Microsoft Israel\u2019s governance department will also be leaving their positions, Globes reported on Monday.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tOutgoing Microsoft Israel general manager Alon Haimovich. (Courtesy of Inbal Marmari\/Microsoft)<\/p>\n

Microsoft declined to comment on further details regarding Haimovich\u2019s departure from his role on May 31 and additional Israel-based staff leaving their roles.<\/p>\n

Haimovich joined Microsoft Israel seven years ago as Public Sector Lead, before assuming the position of general manager four years ago. Microsoft said it will announce Haimovich\u2019s successor in \u201cdue course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHaimovich will embark on a new professional path in the fields of technology and artificial intelligence,\u201d Microsoft said. \u201cDuring his tenure, Microsoft Israel became one of the three fastest-growing countries within its peer countries cluster across the company, achieved a number of standout milestones and drove a shift toward Frontier AI leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n

Microsoft\u2019s ties to Israel have been the subject of several protests at the company\u2019s offices, including sit-ins and demonstrations led by the No Azure for Apartheid protest group.<\/p>\n

In August last year, the company\u00a0fired<\/a>\u00a0four employees who participated in protests on company premises. Microsoft said the terminations followed serious breaches of company policies and said recent on-site demonstrations had \u201ccreated significant safety concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n

Previously, Microsoft had denied<\/a> claims that artificial intelligence and cloud-based computing technologies it supplies to the Israeli military have been used to target people in Gaza during the war with the Hamas terror group.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tPro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demonstrators hold banners and signs as they protest outside the Microsoft Build conference at the Seattle Convention Center in Seattle, Washington on May 19, 2025. (Jason Redmond \/ AFP)<\/p>\n

Microsoft currently operates development centers in Haifa, Tel Aviv and Nazareth, with most of its 3,000 employees working on projects including cybersecurity, AI technologies, big data, and healthcare, as well as sales and marketing.<\/p>\n

The company opened a local branch in Israel in 1989, and established its first R&D center in Israel, its first outside the US, in 1991.<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\tWhich gorgeous bird do you prefer?\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

THIS MONTH ONLY: Join our reader support group for as little as $6\/month and receive an exclusive tote bag featuring one of Israel\u2019s native birds.<\/p>\n

Choose between the\u00a0Duchifat (orange), Israel’s national bird, or the Shaldag (blue), a beloved symbol of the Israeli landscape.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As a member of the Times of Israel Community,\u00a0you’ll also enjoy:<\/p>\n


\nAn ad-free experience of our site and podcasts.
\nExclusive access to award-winning films via DocuNation.
\nWeekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tJoin ToI Community & claim my bag\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tCLAIM YOUR BAG\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\tYou’re a dedicated reader\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWe\u2019re really pleased that you\u2019ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. \n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we started the Times of Israel – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.<\/p>\n

So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven\u2019t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.<\/p>\n

For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.<\/p>\n

Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Microsoft\u2019s Israel general manager Alon Haimovich will be stepping down, following the findings of an internal review into…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":112352,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[12570,6310,37,7261,38865,38407,442,38866,4332],"class_list":{"0":"post-112351","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-israel","8":"tag-ai-artificial-intelligence","9":"tag-defense-ministry","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-microsoft","12":"tag-microsoft-azure","13":"tag-microsoft-israel","14":"tag-surveillance","15":"tag-technology-in-the-idf","16":"tag-unit-8200"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116568769556701659","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112351\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}