This forensic audit was commissioned to rigorously assess the operational and material support provided by International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) and its subsidiaries to the Israeli military, security, and administrative systems relevant to the occupation of Palestine, systems of surveillance, and related operations. The analysis focuses on distinguishing between general commercial activity and meaningful complicity, defined as providing services indispensable to operations that violate international legal and ethical norms, such as maintaining an illegal occupation or supporting documented apartheid mechanisms.
The evidence establishes that IBM’s involvement with Israeli state entities extends over six decades, originating with the supply of mechanical mechanization machines in the early 1960s and evolving rapidly with the introduction of computing technology following 1967.1 Today, IBM’s involvement is manifested through high-value contracts for core IT infrastructure, the operation of sensitive state databases, and the direct integration of personnel and advanced technology (AI, cloud architecture) into the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD) and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).1
External expert assessments, including those referenced by the UN Human Rights Council, have previously identified technology corporations such as IBM as “central to Israel’s surveillance apparatus and the ongoing Gaza destruction”.3 The audit confirms this high level of operational integration.
Conclusion: Based on the specificity, tailored nature, and critical operational role of its services, particularly in military command-and-control infrastructure and the administration of the population registry used to enforce discriminatory policies, IBM’s operations constitute Meaningful Complicity across multiple domains of the Israeli military-industrial complex and the systemic apparatus of population control and apartheid.
The following table summarizes the primary areas of IBM’s engagement and classifies them based on the standard of meaningful complicity—involvement that is specific, critical, or tailored to high-risk activities associated with occupation, apartheid, or militarization.
Table 1: Material Complicity Matrix: IBM’s Involvement Classification
| Activity/System | Israeli Entity | IBM Subsidiary/Product | Function / Operational Impact | Forensic Classification (Meaningful/Incidental) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eitan Population Registry (Biometric) | PIBA (Population & Borders Authority) | IBM Israel, Eitan System | Infrastructure for demographic control, movement restriction (permits), and apartheid enforcement. | Meaningful Complicity |
| Operational Cloud Infrastructure | IDF, Air Force, Intelligence Units | Red Hat Israel, OpenShift | Shared operational data, command/control, and targeted intelligence support. | Meaningful Complicity |
| Central Servers and Storage | IMOD / IDF | IBM Servers / Hardware | Core logistical and data processing backbone for military operations. | Meaningful Complicity |
| Support for Settlements | Ariel University (West Bank) | IBM Alpha Zone/Mentorship | Normalization and financial support for infrastructure deemed illegal under international law. | Meaningful Complicity |
| General IT Maintenance | Israeli Police | IBM Hardware/Software | Routine operational support for civilian enforcement apparatus. | Incidental (High Risk) |
The determination of meaningful complicity relies on an assessment of whether a corporate entity provides services that are indispensable to, or specifically tailored for, activities that are widely documented as violating international human rights law or supporting structures of occupation and apartheid. Simple commercial presence or general sales of dual-use technology do not necessarily meet this threshold. However, when the technology is strategically integrated, customized, and essential for the functioning of a system designed to enforce differential rights, the classification shifts to meaningful complicity.
The necessity for such classification arises from the finding that effective human rights due diligence, had it been properly undertaken, would have required corporate entities to disengage from supporting the Israeli occupation long ago.4 The sustained operation of highly sensitive state systems by IBM indicates a prolonged failure to mitigate risks associated with structural human rights violations.
IBM maintains its operational presence in Israel primarily through its fully owned subsidiaries, IBM Israel Ltd. and Red Hat Israel.1 The relationship between IBM and the Israeli defense establishment is historically deep-seated, dating back to the acquisition of the first IBM computer by the Israeli military in 1967, which initiated the military’s computerization process.1 This historical pattern of technological embedding demonstrates that IBM has long been a foundational provider of digital architecture for the state’s security apparatus.
A review of this historical pattern reveals a consistent willingness to provide technologies necessary for state-led discriminatory systems. Notably, IBM was a major supplier of computers utilized for the South African apartheid regime’s national population registry.6 The current role of IBM in operating the Israeli Population Registry (Eitan/PIBA), a system that enforces demographic control and fragmented rights based on identity and location 2, suggests a concerning continuation of providing the bureaucratic and digital infrastructure required to manage systems defined as apartheid. This parallel significantly increases the perceived ideological and material complicity of IBM in maintaining state-sanctioned discriminatory structures, irrespective of the generic nature of the underlying hardware or software.
IBM provides substantial, strategic, and often high-value technological support directly to the Israeli military and defense establishment, ensuring operational readiness and advanced intelligence capabilities.
IBM’s contractual relationship with the IMOD is extensive and financially significant. Documentation confirms that the IMOD contracted IBM in 2011 for hundreds of millions of US dollars to supply storage and central servers.1 Previously, in 2008, the Israeli military awarded IBM a three-year contract valued at US$60 million for the provision of servers, along with an additional estimated US$6-7 million for virtual Vmware servers.1 These contracts demonstrate a long-term, high-level financial dependence of the Israeli defense apparatus on IBM’s core IT infrastructure and hardware provisioning.
Furthermore, IBM’s involvement transcends mere hardware sales and logistics. Since the early 2000s, the Israeli military has outsourced critical software development work to IBM.1 Dozens of IBM Israel employees are integrated directly into military operations, working alongside soldiers from the Israeli military’s Computer and IT Unit.1 This embedding of civilian personnel within military IT units suggests close collaboration on joint software development, specialized technical support, and critical knowledge transfer, ensuring rapid operational readiness that is essential for dynamic military environments.
IBM’s fully owned subsidiary, Red Hat, plays a crucial role in developing and maintaining the IDF’s strategic digital backbone, confirming meaningful complicity in military intelligence and operational capabilities.
Red Hat was central to establishing the IDF’s first operational cloud infrastructure in 2017.1 This cloud, based on Red Hat’s technologies, was created as part of the Israeli Military Network Program. The foundational purpose of this project was to establish an operational internet infrastructure that enables the real-time sharing of information across diverse military divisions.1 The project was reportedly valued in the tens of millions of shekels.1
This operational cloud facilitates seamless data exchange between highly specialized units, including the Israeli Air Force, Intelligence, Ground Forces, and Navy.1 By providing the core platform for integrated command and control, IBM/Red Hat’s technology acts as a fundamental force multiplier for Israel’s digitized battlefield. Red Hat’s OpenShift platform (a hybrid cloud solution) is critical for modern Multi-Domain Operations (MDO), allowing for the rapid, resilient distribution, security, and analysis of high-data volume workloads across various domains and even in tactical, disconnected environments.7 The seamless intelligence sharing between the Air Force and Intelligence units, enabled by this core infrastructure, is necessary for accelerating decision cycles and improving the precision of targeting capabilities, particularly during high-intensity military campaigns.3 The service provided is highly specialized, operationalized cloud architecture, not generic IT.
IBM also holds joint projects with the Israeli military’s Computer Service and Cyber Defense Divisions, focusing on advanced fields such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).1 This collaboration extends to general product development, with IBM actively marketing specialized, AI-enhanced solutions for defense organizations designed to accelerate mission planning and decision support, often trained on military doctrines.9
The depth of this relationship is underscored by the ideological alignment expressed by both parties. Israeli military officers have described Red Hat as a “business partner,” and company executives have similarly publicly acknowledged the Israeli military as their “partner” and “leading customer,” expressing “great pride” in enhancing their capabilities.2 Such statements negate any possibility that the relationship is merely incidental or general commercial activity.
IBM’s influence extends beyond direct IDF contracts into the broader Israeli defense industrial base.
The company offers its hybrid cloud application platform, Red Hat OpenShift, to government ministries and state-owned defense companies, including major arms manufacturers such as Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.5 IAI and Rafael are crucial to the production of core Israeli defense and missile systems, including the Iron Dome and Spike missiles.3 The provision of critical cloud infrastructure to these entities, even if general-purpose, supports the production and logistical continuity of weapon systems used in military operations.
Although specific components of IBM software integrated into weapon systems are not confirmed, IBM’s general focus on AI-driven supply chain visibility and optimization for the defense industry 12 implies a substantial role in the logistical continuity of the broader Israeli defense sector.
Table 2: Log of Key IBM/Red Hat Contracts with Israeli Defense and Security Agencies (Estimated Values)
| Year(s) | Client Entity | Service/Product Scope | Estimated Value (USD/NIS) | Source Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 (Ongoing) | PIBA | Design/Operation of Eitan System (Population Registry) | NIS 840M (Contracted 2018) / $240M (2017 estimate) | 2 |
| 2017 | Israeli Military Network | Establishment of Operational Cloud Infrastructure | Tens of millions of Shekels | 1 |
| 2011 | IMOD | Supply of Storage and Central Servers | Hundreds of millions of US dollars | 1 |
| 2008 (3 Years) | Israeli Military | Provision of Servers (Central) | US$60 million | 1 |
| 2016 | Israel Police | Sole Supplier of Software/Hardware Maintenance | NIS 3 million / Contract Exempt from Tender | 1 |
IBM’s most profound and systematically documented complicity lies in its operation of the central databases that form the informational infrastructure for Israel’s system of population control, movement restrictions, and differential rights enforcement.
The core evidence of complicity in the apparatus of apartheid rests on IBM’s role in the “Eitan System,” which it designed and operates for the Population, Immigration, and Borders Authority (PIBA).1 Eitan functions as the central database and management system for Israel’s national population registry and biometric database.1
This database records highly sensitive personal information, critically including the ethnic and religious identities of all residents—both citizens and non-citizens—within Israel and the territories under its control, including the occupied Palestinian territories (West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza) and the occupied Syrian Golan.2 This data is used for government-issued ID cards, which are required by law for all residents.2 IBM has held the responsibility for operating the Eitan System since 2019, replacing a previous provider. This commitment is long-term, with the remaining contract value estimated at approximately NIS 383 million and expected to end only in 2035.5
The data stored and managed by the Eitan System is not merely archival; it is actively used to operationalize the military rule and permit regime. The system is deployed and utilized at all official crossings and main Israeli checkpoints in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.1 This includes critical access points such as the Allenby Bridge Crossing to Jordan, the only official international egress point for West Bank Palestinians, and checkpoints related to the Gaza Strip, such as Erez.1
The information held in PIBA’s database is routinely employed to enforce systematic discrimination among the different population groups under Israeli control.2 This allows the state to fragment Palestinian society, assign differential legal jurisdictions (civilian law versus military law), and strictly restrict fundamental rights, including where Palestinians may live, work, and travel, who they may marry, and their access to government services through the repressive permit system.2 The documentation of all crossings and movement data stored by IBM’s system significantly enhances Israel’s ubiquitous surveillance networks, which have been historically exploited to target individuals for extortion or political pressure.1
The commitment to operating the PIBA system until 2035 means that the critical infrastructure underpinning Israel’s differential rights and permit regime is structurally dependent on IBM’s maintenance and data architecture.5 The replacement of such a complex, indispensable national registry system would be logistically and financially crippling for the Israeli administration, illustrating the non-incidental, highly entrenched nature of IBM’s complicity.
A crucial analytical determination is the connection between this civilian-administered data and military operations. The PIBA registry, while run by a civilian authority, is confirmed to interface with other government authorities.5 Most significantly, the registry includes detailed address information for the population of the Gaza Strip.2
By maintaining the central, comprehensive repository of biometric, demographic, and geographic data for occupied populations, IBM provides the foundational ‘Master Data Management’ layer that services both the administrative apparatus of control (permit management) and the intelligence and potential targeting matrix utilized by the military. Evidence concerning other technology providers confirms that intelligence stored in such systems has been used to provide supplementary information ahead of airstrikes, sometimes resulting in mass civilian casualties.3 Therefore, the maintenance of this foundational population data, particularly concerning the Gaza Strip, constitutes an enabling component that links the administrative system of apartheid directly to military operations and targeting decisions.
Table 3: PIBA Eitan System Functionality and Impact on Human Rights
| Eitan System Function | Data Handled | Operational Use by Authorities | Link to Apartheid/Militarization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population Registry Management | Biometric data, ethnic/religious identity, addresses (including Gaza).2 | Determines legal jurisdiction, citizenship rights, and access to services. | Facilitates systematic fragmentation of Palestinian society based on residency status. |
| Border and Checkpoint Documentation | Movement logs, permit statuses, crossing attempts (West Bank, Gaza).1 | Enforcement of the repressive permit regime; control of travel, work, and medical access. | Enables granular, real-time control over Palestinian life and movement in occupied territories. |
| Interfacing with Government Authorities | Personal and status updates (births, deaths, visas, addresses).15 | Provides data to military and security agencies for monitoring, targeting, and political pressure/extortion.1 | Centralized information infrastructure supporting intelligence operations and monitoring. |
Beyond direct military and infrastructural complicity, IBM provides support that normalizes and financially aids the occupation and its related structures.
IBM provides direct support and collaboration to Ariel University, an academic institution located in the illegal Israeli settlement of Ariel in the occupied West Bank.1 Settlements are considered violations of international law.16
IBM Israel has hosted mentoring events for Ariel University students and provided access to infrastructure and resources through programs such as the IBM Alpha Zone accelerator.1 This material and reputational support helps normalize the existence and economic integration of an entity that is fundamentally part of the illegal settlement infrastructure.1 By offering mentorship and prestige, IBM materially aids in the institutional entrenchment of the occupation’s civilian enterprise, classifying this as clear ideological and material support for structures defined as unlawful.
IBM has been a critical technology supplier to the Israel Police since 1975, with many police computer systems relying solely on IBM hardware and software.1 In recent years, IBM secured contracts to be the sole provider of software and hardware maintenance, sometimes via exemption from standard tender processes.1
This support has included advanced solutions, such as providing IBM Cloud infrastructure to support Israeli smart city apps (like Repo Cyber) that dramatically increased reporting to law enforcement agencies.17 While provision of general IT maintenance to police may be deemed incidental association in some contexts, the long-term, sole-source nature of the maintenance contracts ensures the police force’s ongoing operational capability.
The centrality of IBM’s role in the Israeli governance and military structure cannot be overstated.
IBM’s operational commitments are engineered for maximum entanglement. The commitment through Red Hat to maintain the IDF’s operational cloud 1 is not a simple, replaceable software license; it represents specialized knowledge of the IDF’s unique multi-domain network architecture and integrated personnel support.2 Similarly, the long-term PIBA contract until 2035 5 means that Israel’s entire system of demographic control, movement management, and biometric identification is structurally dependent on IBM’s continuous data storage and maintenance. The logistical difficulty and political friction involved in replacing such systems create a high barrier to disengagement.
This deep entanglement, covering both military command (Red Hat Cloud) and civilian control (PIBA Registry), generates significant systemic risk. Disengagement from either commitment would severely impair the state’s operations, locking IBM into a long-term, high-risk operational situation and securing its role as a long-term architect of the digital infrastructure of Israeli state power in the occupied territories.
The analytical conclusion confirms that IBM’s activities fall definitively under Meaningful Complicity.
This classification is justified based on two primary factors:
IBM’s deep involvement carries substantial geopolitical and legal risks. UN expert reports have directly implicated technology companies like IBM in the “corporate machinery sustaining the Israeli settler-colonial project,” apartheid, and surveillance apparatus.3 By enabling severe human rights violations, including systematic discrimination, movement restrictions, and providing foundational data potentially contributing to military targeting, IBM is exposed to escalating legal risk under international law regarding corporate responsibility in conflict zones.4
The forensic audit finds that International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), through its subsidiaries, maintains a long-term, high-value, and strategically integrated relationship with the Israeli defense and administrative apparatus. This relationship provides three critical pillars of operational support:
These activities collectively demonstrate that IBM’s role is one of Meaningful Complicity in systems of occupation, surveillance, and militarisation.
The following actions are recommended to mitigate the identified risks and address the documented complicity:
