Google and Amazon struck secret deal to shield Israel from legal scrutiny, leak reveals

Google and Amazon agreed to secretly help Israel avoid international legal trouble, even if it meant possibly breaking laws in the US or other countries, according to a bombshell investigation by +972 Magazine, Local Call, and The Guardian.

The revelations centre on the $1.2 billion Project Nimbus contract—signed in 2021—which provides Israel with access to advanced cloud computing and AI services from the two tech giants. While the deal was long shrouded in secrecy, newly leaked documents from Israel’s Finance Ministry expose alarming details: namely, that Google and Amazon agreed to sidestep legal orders from foreign courts by secretly tipping off Israel if its data was ever requested by law enforcement or prosecutors abroad.

The companies also agreed to waive their own terms of service, allowing Israel to use their platforms without restriction—even if such use violated human rights or breached the companies’ own ethical guidelines.

One of the most startling disclosures is a clause in the contract requiring Google and Amazon to use a covert “winking mechanism” to silently alert Israeli authorities if they were ever compelled by a foreign court to share data—but were legally barred from disclosing that request.

Under the secret system, the companies would send Israel small symbolic payments in Israeli shekels, with the amounts based on international dialling codes. For example, if a US court demanded data, the company would send NIS 1,000 (reflecting the +1 US code). For Italy, they would send NIS 3,900 (+39). If unable to specify the country, a fallback payment of NIS 100,000 would be made.

Legal experts say the arrangement likely violates US secrecy laws and may open the companies to prosecution. A former US prosecutor told The Guardian the method “seems awfully cute” and courts would not look kindly on such an evasion tactic.

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The contract further guarantees that Israel can use any of Google or Amazon’s services without fear of being cut off—even if it engages in activities that violate human rights, international law, or the platforms’ own usage policies. This provision appears to be a direct response to mounting global pressure on tech companies to sever ties with Israel over its conduct in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Last year, Microsoft reportedly cut off Israel’s military access to its cloud services after revelations of illegal surveillance of Palestinians. In contrast, Google and Amazon committed under the Nimbus agreement not to restrict Israel’s access under any circumstances.

Despite public claims that the project only supports civilian government ministries, Israeli security sources told +972 that the military’s computing and surveillance infrastructure has heavily relied on Nimbus throughout its ongoing genocide in Gaza.

A commander from Israel’s military computing unit described the services as providing “very significant operational effectiveness” in targeting operations across the besieged enclave.

Human rights experts say the contract reinforces long-standing concerns that powerful technology firms are complicit in war crimes and repression through silent partnerships with governments. The deal’s secret clauses suggest a deliberate effort by Israel to pre-empt international legal scrutiny—and the willingness of major tech firms to comply.

The revelations come as Israel stands accused of committing genocide in Gaza—a charge under review by the International Court of Justice. The use of AI-driven targeting, biometric surveillance, and cloud-based data processing has raised further alarm over how civilian tech is being used to facilitate war crimes and population control.

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