Google CEO Sundar Pichai issued statements of sympathy for Israel in the wake of the barbaric attacks by the Hamas terrorist organization and announced that Google will donate $8 million in aid to people harmed in the ongoing fighting. The funds, a mere pittance for one of the world’s biggest corporations, are pledged to both Israelis and Gazans and the $8 million amounts to but a drop in the bucket when it comes to what will be needed to rebuild in Israel alone.
This is not just the cost of rebuilding towns near Gaza. It is also the cost of dealing with damage caused all over Israel by Hamas rockets and to the country’s economy as a whole.
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“Our Jewish Googlers around the world are reeling from these attacks — which bring painful reminders of the worst moments in history,” said Sundar Pichai, “and are experiencing a rise in anti-Semitic incidents that call for increased security at synagogues and schools.”
And then the Google CEO added, “Our Palestinian, Arab and Muslim Googlers are deeply affected by a concerning rise in Islamophobia, and are watching with dread as Palestinian civilians in Gaza have suffered significant loss and fear for their lives amid the escalating war and humanitarian crisis.”
“What our 2,000+ colleagues in Israel are going through is heartbreaking as their families and friends continue to experience loss and horror, with hostages from Israel and around the world in Gaza,” Sundar Pichai told Google employees. “Googlers in Israel are still sheltering in safe rooms. Our Tel Aviv and Haifa offices have shelters and remain open to Googlers who need them. Please expect your colleagues in these offices to be focused on the safety of their families and themselves at this moment.”
Last week Sundar Pichai signed an ADL petition against antisemitism tweeting, “Important to call out and stand against antisemitism at this terrible moment. It’s never acceptable. Proud to sign this commitment to raise awareness and condemn this historic evil.”
Three days after the barbaric Hamas attack on October 7, he issued s statement of sympathy in which Pichai said that he was “Deeply saddened by the terrorist attacks in Israel this weekend and the escalating conflict underway.”
Sundar Pichai mentioned in his statement that Google has 2 offices and over 2,000 employees in Israel.
“It’s unimaginable what they’re experiencing,” he said. “Our immediate focus since Saturday has been on employee safety. We’ve now made contact with all of our local employees, and will continue supporting them. We’re also working to provide reliable, accurate information to people through our products, as well as sharing the cyber activity that our experts are seeing. We’ll be supporting humanitarian and relief organizations on the ground. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.”
