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Greta Thunberg calls for boycott of Apple for their 2nd largest worldwide R&D center in 'Israel' (thelemmy.club)
submitted 2 days ago by to c/apple_enthusiast@lemmy.world
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cross-posted from: https://lemdro.id/post/45608823

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[–] 19 points 2 days ago* (15 children)

They also fund the IDF and are involved with illegal settlements.

Are we sure about that?

I've used one of these corporate donation matching programs before (obviously I'm not donating to Israeli or IDF charities). Its essentially a large donation platform and web interface that allows corporations to offer the charity donation/matching systems to its employees. The donation platform Apple apparently uses is called "Benevity".

To be clear, I don't believe the corporate employer chooses the charities listed, it simply allows donations to all the charities the platform has registered. When I was searching for charities I donate to, I found many small obscure charities which surprised me. This suggests to me it doesn't take much to get registered if any action at all. Does Benevity simply get a list of every 501(c)(3) organization registered with the IRS?

From your article:

"Apple will be expected to take swift action to investigate and potentially cease matching donations to organisations linked to the Israeli military and illegal settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories."

My question would be: Do we know for sure that any Apple employees even donated to these Israeli/IDF charities (and therefore received matched donations from Apple)? Just because the charities are listed on Benevity doesn't mean anyone actually donated? If zero Apple employees chose to make donations, then Apple would also have made zero donations. So before we crucify Apple for donating, do we have proof that there actually were any actual donations made?

I will say the effort to have the Israeli/IDF charities delisted as choices to Apple employees through Benevity is still a reasonable request, but that is a far smaller need/sin than actual donations to Israeli/IDF charities.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 days ago* (9 children)

    The Intercept has a more in-depth article

    https://theintercept.com/2024/06/11/apple-donations-idf-israel-gaza-illegal-settlements/

    There's far more going on than just the contributions, when it comes to Apple's material support to Israel

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  • [–] 2 points 2 days ago* (8 children)

    That article looks like a repeat of the other article. I didn't see anything new in it that we haven't see in the first one. Neither article shows any evidence that Apple employees or Apple themselves have contributed any funds to those Israeli/IDF charities.

    Its unlikely Apple chose any of the charities listed. The charities listed are from the Benevity platform (which potentially lists every single 501(c)(3) charity registered with the IRS).

    There’s far more going on than just the contributions, when it comes to Apple’s material support to Israel

    That's certainly possible, but the Apple/Apple Employee donations to Israeli/IDF charities claim looks like misinformation.

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  • [–] -1 points 2 days ago (7 children)

    The matching program is setup in such a way that we CAN'T verify how much apple has donated through the matching program. On this topic, the issue is with Apple allowing donor matching to Apartheid, Genocide, and Settler Colonialism in the first place.

    Additionally, through Project Nimbus, israel is directly funding the Zionist project, both financially as it's a 1.2 billion dollar project, and military as this project is used to bolster the Israeli military apparatus. Not to mention how Apple has fired those who employees oppose Apple's financial ties and projects with Israel.

    There's also the issue of Apple having factories in Israel. Either way you cut it, Apple materially supports Israel, and by extension the Apartheid, Genocide, and all other aspects of ethnic cleansing intrinsic to the Zionist project.

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  • [–] 0 points 2 days ago* (6 children)

    The matching program is setup in such a way that we CAN’T verify how much apple has donated through the matching program.

    Right, but there's zero evidence the donation amount is more than $0.

    I've explained how a corporate donation platform works in my first post. You're misconstruing it at something else like a sinister plan cloaked in shadows. Not everything is a conspiracy. Instead its a boring corporate-outsourcing-bureaucracy. Apple (and other companies that use these donation platforms) want to offer the benefit to their employees for HR reasons as well as tax cuts for charitable donations. They contract with a benefits donation company, in this Benevity. The list of charities isn't hand-picked to be Israeli/IDF charities, its likely all IRS registered charities.

    On this topic, the issue is with Apple allowing donor matching to Apartheid, Genocide, and Settler Colonialism in the first place.

    I agree Apple should exclude these charities even as an option for donation, but you're painting this like Apple is donation money directly to the IDF. There is just zero evidence that is occurring even if it would support your argument better if they were.

    I think I realized why I'm so disappointed in your line of thought on this. Its the lack of consistency in your accusation on the use of this donation platform. Why is it you're only calling out Apple for "allowing donor matching to Apartheid, Genocide, and Settler Colonialism"? Why are you not calling out the literally hundreds of other companies that allow the exact same donation possibility?

    There’s also the issue of Apple having factories in Israel. Either way you cut it, Apple materially supports Israel, and by extension the Apartheid, Genocide, and all other aspects of ethnic cleansing intrinsic to the Zionist project.

    Cool, then go with those where there's actual evidence of support of Israel. If you've got good examples with good evidence, why make up implications with the employee donation thing?

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  • [–] 0 points 2 days ago (5 children)

    You're the only one who's only focused on apple here

    Use the No Thanks or even join a BDS working group

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  • [–] 0 points 2 days ago (4 children)

    You’re the only one who’s only focused on apple here

    If your outrage on the non-existant donations is rational, where are your posts for the hundreds of other companies that are using Benevity?

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  • [–] 0 points 2 days ago (3 children)

    altr

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  • [–] 0 points 2 days ago* (2 children)

    Except Thing 1 and Thing 2 are the same thing. Hundreds of companies are using Benevity and probably also have the same pathway for Israeli/IDF charities donations, yet you're singling out Apple.

    So your "Does not care about Thing 2" is "you don't care about other companies possibly donating to Israeli/IDF charities through Benevity"?

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  • [–] 0 points 2 days ago (1 child)

    You're the one making up that distinction.

    Why is a post about Apple's matching of donations to Israel about Apple? Wow, what a brain teaser.

    This post is about supporting the Apple employees just demands to stop and investigate these donations. You're just concern trolling over not having the findings of that investigation already available.

    additional open letter started by even more Apple employees, demanding the removal of organizations on the company’s Benevity site that fund and weaponize illegal settlements in the West Bank. Yes, you read that right! Apple Inc. matches 100% to organizations in Israel that fund and arm illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land.

    I already boycott any company supporting israel and do my part for my local BDS movements. What the fuck are you doing besides running defence for apple here? You sure as hell ignored all the other connections Apple has with Israel.

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  • [–] 0 points 2 days ago*

    You’re just concern trolling over not having the findings of that investigation already available.

    Having the requirement to know something actually occurred is trolling? That's a bizarre take.

    Yes, you read that right! Apple Inc. matches 100% to organizations in Israel that fund and arm illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land.

    sigh, with zero evidence they ever have.

    What the fuck are you doing besides running defence for apple here?

    I'm looking at consistency from your outrage. I'm not seeing it. I don't know if thats because you have an axe to grind specifically with Apple, or if you're letting other people decide for you where outrage should be limited to instead of following the logic to others of the same sin you're accusing Apple of. If your argument fails logically on something I have looked into, which it has on the Benevity angle, then it tells me if I should ignore the rest of your messages for equally sloppy or inadequate personal investigation.

    I already boycott any company supporting israel and do my part for my local BDS movements.

    And have you checked to see if the other Benevity-using-companies are on your BDS lists? What is the result? If they're on there what does that tell you? If they're missing what instead does that tell you? I'm looking for you to demonstrate critical thinking to know if I should lend credence to your complains or ignore you because you don't research your claims.

    You sure as hell ignored all the other connections Apple has with Israel.

    I'm not ignoring those. I'm simply not disputing them. I haven't personally looked into any of them, but those look like much stronger claims with actual possibly evidence than the Benevity angle which you're leaning on hard here for Apple.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 days ago (3 children)

    As far as I can tell, the donations are completely private. That means that as far as we’re concerned the amount could be zero.

    This looks like a good article to separate the known deep economic ties Apple has to Israel from the unknown as well as the viral mis/disinformation https://sherafy.com/does-apple-support-israel/

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  • [–] 4 points 2 days ago* (2 children)

    I appreciate your new link. I answered a number of questions I'd formed myself. It also pointed out that there is no public evidence that Apple or its employees donated to those Israeli/IDF charities. I concede this doesn't mean donations haven't happened, but that we have no evidence donations happened and nothing to suggest that they did.

    Is this a link you found when exploring our conversation here or did you have this second link when you made your first post claiming "They also fund the IDF and are involved with illegal settlements."? I'm not making an accusation against you. I know I frequently learn new things that contradict my held position when others share information and it causes me to examine a topic further in search of truth and accuracy. I didn't know if this was a case similar to my experience.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 days ago (1 child)

    I found this link prompted by your comment. As I said in my previous reply, you’re right that the amount could be zero, but we have no evidence that Apple has conceded to the requests to prevent this kind of thing from happening.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 days ago

    You get the fuck out of here with your level-headed reasoning, the torches are already lit and the pitchforks sharpened!

    Apple does plenty of shitty shit but this isn’t much of anything. Go after labor conditions in China, piss on them for succumbing to the ads game. There are other real things to hold them accountable for.

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