[Disclaimer: This letter and the signatories will be published publicly soon, so please keep the link within the Apple family for now]
To Mr. Cook and executive leadership,
We, current and previous employees of Apple Inc., wish to express our disappointment and shock at the lack of care and understanding that this company has given the Palestinian community, not only abroad suffering in Gaza, but also towards our own team members and anyone who supports them within our stores and offices.
On October 9, two days after the loss of innocent Israeli lives, Mr. Cook was quick to send us an email with the subject “Israel,” where he immediately told us that his "…heart goes out to the victims, those who have lost loved ones, and all of the innocent people who are suffering as a result of this violence."
Today, after over 150 days of violence against innocent Palestinian lives, there has yet to be a message sent expressing the same kind of concern for them. In fact, anyone who has dared to express support of the Palestinian people in the form of kaffiyehs, pins, bracelets, or clothing, has been actioned against under the guise of “breaking business conduct,” and creating a “harmful environment.” Team members have even been wrongfully terminated for this small show of solidarity, while our leadership ignores the pain and suffering our co-workers and their families are facing in Gaza.
Our credo states that all people are welcome, and emphasizes that we want to leave the world better than we found it. However, our actions in the last few months have shown us that executive leadership has no intention of making the world a better place for Palestinians, and that they are wholly unwelcome within Apple. As a company that emphasizes inclusivity and racial equity, we must stand at the forefront of this humanitarian crisis and innovate socially just as we do technically.
Year after year, we are voted one of the world’s most admired companies. We lead industries, create life-changing technologies, and have moved the world forward in more ways than one. It is time for Apple to take center stage and redefine expectations of how the world views the Palestinian struggle for self-determination, and stand firm in our belief of racial equity and justice. Where we lead, people follow, and it is beyond time that we lead with our hearts, instead of our wallets.
We humbly ask that Mr. Cook and the rest of the executive team end their silence on this crucial subject, and make it clear that Palestinian lives matter. With over 35,000 innocent Palestinians killed, each day we are silent we become more complicit in this horrific genocide, and the further we stay mum on this issue the further it is made clear that Apple does not support Palestinians, or human rights.
We work(ed) here because we love this company, want to change lives, and make the world a better place. How can we do that, when we remain silent on the issues that matter most?
Signed,
Our campaign has been posted publicly, and you can now see the letter with your signatures, along with a page for others to spread the word.
http://apples4ceasefire.com/
And we're proud to share we have over 350 names now signed on, thank you all so much.
If you haven't signed yet, please use the new website. We'll keep an eye on this in case we get more here, so signatures will be updated either way - as long as you verify your email!
If at any time you change your mind, or if you face retaliation from a manager, you can contact us at apples4ceasegire [at] gmail [dot] com.
Thank you to each and every one of you willing to sign this letter. All we're really asking is for a bit of humanity from our leadership, and recognition of Palestinian suffering. We cannot be a company that champions racial equity and social justice, but be silent on this issue - we have to do better, because good enough isn't.