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Apple V-MIL

MILITARY AUDIT UPDATED 2026-06-11
V-MIL Score 0.00 /10 B Apple — BDS-1000 613
V-MIL 0.00

Evidence-only forensic audit. Scoring happens downstream — see the main dossier for the composite assessment.

V-MIL Audit Report: Apple Inc

1. Introduction

This audit examines publicly available evidence concerning Apple Inc’s relationships, activities, and connections relevant to Israeli military operations, settlement activities in occupied territories, and defence-related end-users. The audit draws exclusively on the source material compiled in the accompanying research memo and applies the evidentiary standard of identifying verified, documentable claims while clearly distinguishing areas where no public evidence was located.

Apple Inc is a United States-incorporated multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, widely known for consumer electronics, software, and services. The company maintains substantial operations in Israel, including R&D centres and commercial retail presence.

Direct Defence Contracting & Procurement

No public evidence was identified of direct contracts, tender awards, framework agreements, or memoranda of understanding between Apple Inc and the Israeli Ministry of Defence (IMOD), Israel Defence Forces (IDF), Israel Prison Service, Israel Border Police, or other Israeli state security bodies123.

Apple products carry standard ECCN classifications under United States Export Administration Regulations. iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV are classified as 5A992.c, while AirPods, AirTags, and accessories are classified as EAR99. These classifications designate the products as mass market items not subject to International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) controls or Regional Stability restrictions4.

Apple is not listed in SIBAT defence export directories or Israeli defence procurement registries in connection with Israeli state contracts12.

Dual-Use Products & Tactical Variants

No public evidence was identified of Apple manufacturing or marketing ruggedised, tactical, mil-spec, or defence-grade variants of its products specifically for Israeli security forces4.

All Apple commercial products are classified as mass market items under US Export Administration Regulations with no special military-use licensing requirements for shipment to Israel4.

No public evidence was identified of publicly known export licence applications, end-user certificates, or government export control reviews specifically related to Apple’s sales to Israeli defence or security end-users4.

Heavy Machinery, Construction & Infrastructure

No public evidence was identified of Apple equipment, vehicles, or machinery being used in construction, maintenance, or demolition activity within Israeli settlements, the separation barrier, military installations, or occupied territories123.

No public evidence was identified of Apple-authorised resellers, distributors, or franchisees operating within West Bank settlements, East Jerusalem settlements beyond pre-1967 boundaries, or the Golan Heights5.

No public evidence was identified of verified contracts for construction, maintenance, or expansion of checkpoints, detention facilities, military bases, the separation barrier, or settlement infrastructure involving Apple123.

Supply Chain Integration with Defence Primes

No public evidence was identified of verified supply relationships where Apple provides components, sub-systems, raw materials, or specialist manufacturing services to Israeli defence prime contractors including Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, or Israel Military Industries123.

No public evidence was identified of joint development programmes, co-production agreements, technology transfer arrangements, or licensed manufacturing agreements between Apple and Israeli defence firms123.

Apple operates a development centre in Rawabi near Ramallah in the Palestinian Authority territory with approximately 60 Palestinian engineers. This operation was conducted secretly for four years before public revelation in 2022, in partnership with ASAL Technologies and billionaire Bashar Masri6.

Logistical Sustainment & Base Services

No public evidence was identified of contracts to provide catering, transport, fuel supply, waste management, facilities maintenance, telecommunications, or other support services to IDF bases, military training facilities, detention centres, or security installations123.

No public evidence was identified of shipping, freight forwarding, or port handling contracts specifically servicing Israeli defence logistics, military cargo, or arms shipments123.

Munitions, Weapons Systems & Strategic Platforms

No public evidence was identified of Apple acting as prime contractor or licensed manufacturer of small arms, artillery systems, armoured vehicles, tactical drones, naval vessels, or other lethal platforms supplied to Israeli forces41.

No public evidence was identified of Apple supply of ammunition, explosive ordnance, chemical propellants, warhead components, or munitions precursor materials to Israeli defence end-users41.

No public evidence was identified of Apple role in manufacture, integration, maintenance, or supply of components for strategic defence platforms including Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow, fighter aircraft, main battle tanks, warships, or ballistic missile systems41.

No public evidence was identified of Apple supply of critical sub-systems for lethal or strategic systems including guidance electronics, fire-control systems, radar components, propulsion units, or warhead casings41.

Export Licensing, Regulatory & Legal History

Apple products are classified as commercial mass-market items (EAR99/5A992.c) not subject to ITAR controls. No special export licences are required for standard shipments to Israel under current classifications4.

No public evidence was identified of investigations, citations, or enforcement actions related to Apple’s compliance with arms embargoes, export control regimes, or sanctions affecting defence trade with Israel4.

No public evidence was identified of court proceedings, judicial reviews, or legal challenges brought against Apple regarding defence supply relationships with Israel123.

Apple filed suit against Israeli spyware company NSO Group in November 2021 for exploiting vulnerabilities in iPhone software.7 In September 2024 Apple itself moved to voluntarily dismiss the case — not as a concession to NSO, but because continuing risked exposing “vital security information” about Apple’s threat-intelligence methods. This is an adversarial, anti-spyware posture toward an Israeli firm, not a complicity nexus.8

Civil Society Scrutiny & Documented Investigations

Apple is not listed in the UN OHCHR database of business enterprises involved in settlement activity, which was updated in September 2025 in accordance with UN Human Rights Council resolutions 31/36, 53/25, and 25/259.

Apple is not named in UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese’s report A/HRC/59/23 titled “From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide” dated July 2025. That report names 48 corporate actors including Microsoft, Alphabet/Google, Amazon, IBM, and Palantir, but does not include Apple10.

Apple is not named in the PAX publication “Companies Arming Israel and Their Financiers” dated June 20242.

Apple is not named in Al-Haq’s report “Business and Human Rights in Occupied Palestine” dated July 20243.

Apple is not listed in the Who Profits database of companies linked to Israeli occupation1.

In April 2024, more than 133 Apple employees, former employees, and shareholders signed an open letter demanding Apple cease matching employee donations to organisations that further illegal settlements and support the IDF. The letter specifically named Friends of the IDF (FIDF), HaYovel, One Israel Fund, Jewish National Fund (JNF), and IsraelGives. Apple has not publicly responded to this letter11.

Apple operates an employee donation matching programme through the Benevity platform that includes eligible charities with ties to the Israeli military and illegal settlements. These organisations include: Friends of the IDF, the sole organisation authorised to collect charitable donations for IDF soldiers; HaYovel, which supports West Bank settlement expansion; One Israel Fund, which supports residents of “Judea and Samaria”; the Jewish National Fund, which has been used by the Israeli Defence Ministry to purchase Palestinian land for settlers; and IsraelGives, which facilitates donations to West Bank settlements and IDF units111213.

FIDF (Friends of the IDF) claimed to have transferred $34.5 million to the IDF in the first weeks following the October 7, 2023 escalation13.

In April 2024, Apple Store workers organised as “Apples4Ceasefire” protested the disciplining of employees who expressed support for Palestinians by wearing keffiyehs, pins, bracelets, or clothing11.

CEO Tim Cook sent a company-wide email on October 9, 2023 expressing sympathy for Israeli victims of the October 7 attacks. No comparable message was sent acknowledging Palestinian civilian casualties11.

Apple operates major R&D centres in Israel in Herzliya (main campus, with new headquarters under construction expected completion in 2027), Haifa (doubling in size as of 2023), and Jerusalem (opened in 2022, focused on Apple Silicon). The Israeli engineering team numbers approximately 2,000 employees614.

In January 2026, Apple acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for approximately $2 billion. Q.ai specializes in “pre-speech” or “silent speech” technology—sensors that map facial micro-movements to determine words a person is thinking before speaking151617.

Q.ai founders include Aviad Maizels (CEO, former commander of Unit 81, Israeli offensive cyber warfare), Dr. Yonatan Wexler (CTO, former Unit 8200 signals intelligence), and Dr. Avi Barliya (co-founder, former Israeli Air Force intelligence)1516.

Tom Hulme of Google Ventures, an early Q.ai investor, revealed that 30% of Q.ai’s more than 100 staff were called up to participate in the military campaign in Gaza1516.

Human rights organisations have raised concerns that the Q.ai acquisition violates Apple’s own Human Rights Policy published in May 2025 and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, specifically Principle 7 which addresses heightened risks in conflict-affected areas1518.

A MintPress News investigation identified dozens of former agents of the Israeli spy agency Unit 8200 working at Apple. Unit 8200 is responsible for mass surveillance operations and automated targeting systems used in Gaza16.

In June 2011, Israel’s Information Minister Yuli Edelstein requested Apple remove the “ThirdIntifada” app from the iTunes App Store, which encouraged followers to share opinions and organise protests against Israel. Apple removed the application, stating it was deemed offensive to large groups of people19.

In July 2020, the Palestinian Authority announced it would lodge cases against Google and Apple over removal of the name “Palestine” from online world maps, replacing it with Israel20.

Apple published a Human Rights Policy in May 2025 stating commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights18.

Regarding controlling principals, Johny Srouji, Apple’s Chief Hardware Officer (appointed April 2026, previously Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies), is an Arab Israeli born in Haifa and architect of Apple Silicon. He joined Apple in 2008 and established Apple’s Israeli R&D operations. He reports directly to CEO Tim Cook6.

No public evidence was identified of Apple board members, executives, or shareholders holding positions on boards of Israeli defence primes including Elbit Systems, IAI, Rafael, or Israeli settlement NGOs or FIDF/reservist-fund vehicles beyond standard charitable giving programme eligibility12.

No public evidence was identified of Apple founders, executives, or controlling principals making FIDF/reservist-fund donations, holding equity in Israeli defence primes, or making public co-belligerency statements12.

End Notes

Footnotes

  1. https://www.whoprofits.org ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16

  2. https://www.paxforpeace.nl/publications/companies-arming-israel ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12

  3. https://www.alhaq.org ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  4. https://www.apple.com/legal/compliance/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10

  5. https://www.istore.co.il ↩

  6. https://www.apple.com/jobs/israel.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  7. https://www.reuters.com/technology/apple-sues-nso-group-over-iphone-spyware-2021-11-23/ ↩

  8. https://therecord.media/apple-seeks-dismissal-of-nso-lawsuit-pegasus-spyware ↩

  9. https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/working-group-on-business/legal-framework ↩

  10. https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5923-economy-occupation-economy-genocide ↩

  11. https://openletter.earth/apples4ceasefire/apple-employees-demand-company-cease-funding-idf-and-settlements-8a2e4b3c ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  12. https://www.benevity.com ↩

  13. https://www.fidf.org ↩ ↩2

  14. https://www.calcalist.co.il/tech_news/article/apple-haifa-expansion ↩

  15. https://skylineinternational.com/apples-acquisition-of-q-ai-a-human-rights-analysis/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  16. https://www.mintpressnews.com/apple-q-ai-acquisition-israel-human-rights-concerns/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  17. https://www.calcalist.co.il/tech_news/article/apple-q-ai-acquisition ↩

  18. https://www.apple.com/legal/compliance/ ↩ ↩2

  19. https://www.reuters.com/technology/apple-removes-app-following-israel-request-2011-06-09/ ↩

  20. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestine-removed-google-apple-maps ↩