Apple employees circulate internal letter calling on the company to support Palestinians

Nearly 1,000 Apple employees have signed an internal letter that calls on CEO Tim Cook to publicly condemn violence against Palestinians. As reported by the Verge, the authors of the letter are asking that Apple acknowledge that “millions of Palestinian people currently suffer under an illegal occupation.”

The letter was initiated by the Apple Muslim Association, which is an internal official employee group. The letter has nearly 1,000 signees, according to the report, and was sent on Monday directly to Cook. Apple has yet to respond.

The report elaborates:

Discussions about the violence internally were dominated by pro-Zionist voices, sources said, with Muslim employees and allies trying unsuccessfully to turn the talks toward the plight of Palestinians and Muslim Apple workers.

In the letter, the employees write that Apple should make it clear “internally and externally that we believe Palestinian lives matter” and that “Palestinian people currently suffer under an illegal occupation.” The letter also requests that Apple makes it clear in any statement in support of Palestinian people that such a statement does not “take away from the human rights of our Jewish brothers and sisters worldwide.”

We are not naive to what we are asking. We realize the challenge it presents. Many of us in the Muslim community (and our allies) have faced criticism, bullying, and in some cases physical attacks for speaking out and stating internationally recognized facts in support of Palestinian human rights.

As one of the largest and most successful companies in the world, we believe Apple’s words and actions have the power to change lives. We believe this because we have seen Apple do it many times, bringing so much positive impact to the world. Conversely, we also know that silence creates a void where lives remain unchanged.

You can read the full letter at the Verge. The publication of the letter comes after Israel and Hamas announced a cease-fire Thursday, according to the Washington Post.

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