Google's worldwide employee base, including its Israeli contingent, received a $400 charitable giving allocation on Monday, with the option to direct these funds to organizations from a company-approved list. The inclusion of UNRWA – the UN agency whose operations in Israel were recently suspended following evidence of its personnel's participation in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks – has sparked considerable discussion within the company.
The charitable initiative allows employees to designate their $400 donation to any organization from an extensive list of over 1000 verified charities working across various sectors. The presence of UNRWA and its affiliated organizations on this list was quickly flagged by Israeli employees and pro-Israel staff members in an internal chat channel.
The scale of Google's charitable initiative is substantial, with allocations made to approximately 180,000 employees, representing a potential charitable impact of $72 million. The company has demonstrated strong support for Israeli emergency services since the outbreak of the Iron Swords War, actively encouraging global employee donations to organizations including Magen David Adom, United Hatzalah, and the ERAN crisis hotline.
The controversy emerges against the backdrop of unprecedented legislative action in the Knesset, which last month passed two significant laws restricting UNRWA's operations. The first legislation bars the agency from operating in Jerusalem's Shuafat refugee camp and terminates all its activities in east Jerusalem. The second law establishes a firewall between Israeli government officials and UNRWA personnel, effectively preventing the agency's staff from working in or accessing Gaza.
The legislative framework explicitly prohibits UNRWA from maintaining any presence, providing services, or conducting activities, whether directly or indirectly, within Israel's sovereign territory.
In response to inquiries, Google Israel stated: "Google employees can select from over 200,000 organizations available through the Benevity platform, a third-party provider responsible for validating eligibility for corporate donation programs. These organizations must regularly demonstrate their compliance with the program's eligibility criteria."
