Oracle does not support Palestine
As a group of employees of Oracle, these views are our own, and do not represent those of the company (except where mentioned in articles).
Oracle employees reject company's pro-Israel stance in support of Palestine.
January 2024 “if any employee is not with us [with Israel], we’re probably not the right place for you”
November 2023 “employees not aligning with support for Israel may find Oracle isn’t the right fit”.
Click on each quote for a link to the relevant article.
As Oracle employees and human beings, we firmly reject these dividing and damaging statements of our leadership team.
We demand that Oracle live by its own ethical standards and ensure that this a safe, respectful and non-discriminatory workplace for all Oracle employees.
We demand that Oracle re-evaluates, retracts and apologizes for company stances stated in the aforementioned articles, and issues a public statement urging for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza and peace in the West Bank.
We demand Oracle executives lead in fostering dialogue and understanding for and with Palestinian employees, as well as creating more opportunities in tech for Palestinians affected by this conflict, and starting an Employee Resource Group (ERG) for supporters of Palestine.
We demand that Oracle reinstates donation matching to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) working in Palestine, and publicizes this effort on internal communication channels.
We demand that any Oracle data center infrastructure and/or products should not be used by, or in connection to, the armed forces of Israel, which is aiding in a plausible genocide in Gaza, nor should our products and services be used to support the apartheid system in the West Bank.
Please join us in signing this open letter. Link also at the bottom of this page.
We, employees of Oracle, are appalled at the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Palestine being perpetuated by Israel. Oracle employees consist of all kinds of people, including indigenous Palestinian communities in the region and in the diaspora, and there are many other employees around the world affected by this crisis, whether Palestinian or not. To repeat these statements in the last 8 months following so much violence and murder, is not only disrespectful to all, but utterly inhumane to Oracle employees who have family living in Palestine.
We are disappointed at the lack of empathy this company and its leadership has shown towards these employees, regardless of their own personal and political connections to Israel. There is a 100 year history between Palestine and Israel, and with a large, powerful company such as Oracle acknowledging only one side of this, is maintaining ignorance and prolonging the issue.
It is because of this one-sided public stance of our leadership that we have been afraid to speak out publicly for fear of retribution and of being ostracized at work. That is why we are writing this letter. We have stayed silent for long enough, and we now raise our voices together.
We did not sign up to be Oracle employees based on the personal or political views of the leadership team. In fact many of us were not even aware of those views until recently. We were certainly unaware of an unwavering “mission” and requirement for unquestioning support of the state of Israel when we signed our employment contracts. To insinuate that we should not work here because we don’t support Israel is discriminatory and goes against Oracle’s own ethical standards.
Oracle’s Code of Ethics affirms, “the principle of equal employment opportunity without regard for any protected characteristic, including but not limited to race, religious creed, national origin, political affiliation”.
We were shocked and horrified on Oct 7th by the atrocities committed by members of Hamas and the loss of innocent Israeli lives. We condemn the targeting of all innocent civilians in all conflicts by all parties.
The violence that is taking place towards Palestinians since then cannot be ignored because of what happened on Oct 7th, and we are repulsed that this company’s stance is implying that it is somehow justified.
On Oct 10th, Safra Catz sent an email to all Oracle employees with the subject ‘Support for our employees and the citizens of Israel’ in which she stated that ‘I am deeply disturbed by the horrific terrorist attacks against Israel’ and declared a ‘$1 million initial donation to Magen David Adom.’
After 8 months of horrific violence which has killed tens of thousands of innocent civilians, we have yet to see the company’s leaders express equal concern and empathy towards Palestinian lives.
Israel currently stands accused of possible war crimes including genocide at the ICJ. The ICC has announced the application for arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister, Defense Minister and the leaders of Hamas.
Meanwhile all Palestinian charities and major global non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in Palestine were removed from the Oracle donation matching site.
Our leadership’s unquestioning public support for Israel has emboldened other employees to tell us that we should resign from Oracle because we do not share the view of our management.
Whether a sole employee or an Oracle executive speaking on behalf of the company, to state that anyone should quit or that they don’t “fit in” if they don’t share certain political views, is discrimination.
At Oracle, we are encouraged to call out unethical or bad behavior. We have tried to use internal resources to raise our concerns. However, due to the strong stance of our leaders, even groups like HR, Corporate Communications, and Employee Relations have not been able to address this serious issue. In response to legitimate concerns, many of us have been referred to internal mental health resources rather than having those concerns addressed appropriately. We know of many talented employees who have resigned due to the company’s one-sided stance.
Our diversity & inclusion policies say we should “bring our authentic selves to work” . You tell us you are “helping people to feel safe — this will maximize their potential so they contribute their most”. Mrs Catz herself has said “when we build a diverse & inclusive culture, it has to start with leadership” and “this is an amazing time to be part of Oracle, and I want everyone to be involved and feel a sense of belonging.”
Those at Oracle who support Palestine and justice for Palestinians do not feel safe or included in this conversation. We want to be able to acknowledge our support of Palestine, and continue to work together with respect, regardless of race, religious creed, national origin, or political affiliation.
We came here to build products that “solve the world’s hardest problems”. We care deeply about our work, and want to continue to be proud of how it contributes to and transforms the lives of millions of people throughout the world.
We are Oracle employees who stand with Palestine. We want justice for Palestinians and peace for all.
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Well done for standing for humanity, things have gone way too far, enough!
Free Palestine
Rabih