BDS-1000 Dossier: Netflix

Target Profile

Executive Summary

Netflix is a global streaming entertainment company that launched its service in Israel in January 2016 as part of a 130-country expansion. The company maintains no registered Israeli subsidiary or corporate offices in Israel, operating instead through distribution partnerships with Israeli telecommunications providers and licensing agreements with Israeli content producers. This structure places Netflix in the unusual position of having documented economic involvement in Israeli settlement activity through its distribution partner while maintaining no direct operational footprint in the country.

The strongest documented vector of involvement is economic: Netflix’s primary Israeli distribution partner, Partner Communications Company Ltd., is listed in the Who Profits database for operating over 200 cellular antennas on occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Syrian Golan, paying rent to Israeli settlements including Beit El and Migron, and sponsoring IDF combat units. Netflix’s Open Connect CDN infrastructure is embedded within Partner Communications and other Israeli ISP networks, delivering streaming content directly through this settlement-connected infrastructure. Additionally, Netflix board member Mathias Döpfner is CEO of Axel Springer SE, whose Israeli subsidiary Yad2 publishes approximately 1,300 property listings in West Bank settlements—a direct profit stream from settlement activity. Döpfner received the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor in October 2025.

In the political domain, Netflix’s removal of the “Palestinian Stories” collection (from 32 to approximately 13 films) in October 2024, with complete erasure in Israel, generated a new BDS campaign and allegations of content censorship during the Gaza military assault. The company has not issued any public statement addressing the October 2023 Israel-Gaza conflict.

No evidence supports direct military involvement: no defense contracts, no dual-use products, no documented supply chain ties to Israeli defense primes, and no verified involvement in surveillance or intelligence systems. The V-MIL and V-DIG domains score zero. The V-ECON and V-POL domains document indirect but meaningful connections through distribution partnerships, board composition, and content decisions, yielding a BRS score of 223, placing Netflix in Tier D (Moderate).

Timeline of Relevant Events

Corporate Overview

Netflix is a Delaware-incorporated streaming entertainment company headquartered in Los Gatos, California. The company operates in approximately 190 countries, offering subscription-based streaming of films, television series, and original content. Netflix’s corporate structure includes subsidiaries in the United States, Netherlands, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and South Korea. No Israeli subsidiary appears in Netflix’s SEC Exhibit 21 filing ¹¹.

Israeli Entities and Franchise Relationships

Netflix does not operate owned offices or R&D facilities in Israel. Its presence is mediated through:

1. Partner Communications Company Ltd. — Primary distribution partner, providing Netflix via Partner TV set-top boxes. Partner Communications is listed in the Who Profits database for settlement activity, operating over 208 antennas on occupied land and paying rent to settlements ¹²¹⁶.

2. Open Connect CDN Infrastructure — Netflix embeds Open Connect Appliances (OCAs) within Israeli ISP networks, including Partner Communications (7 IPs), Bezeq International (9 IPs), Cellcom (5 IPs), and nine additional providers ¹⁶.

3. Content Licensing — Netflix licenses Israeli series from Keshet International (“When Heroes Fly,” “Trust No One,” “A Body That Works,” “Off Road”), yes Studios (“Fauda”), and Faraway Road Productions (Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff’s production company with overall deal) ¹³⁶⁷.

4. Axel Springer / Yad2 — Board member Mathias Döpfner is CEO and 22% shareholder of Axel Springer SE, whose Israeli subsidiary Yad2 publishes property listings in West Bank settlements ⁸.

Domain Summaries

V-MIL: Military

Mechanism of Involvement

No direct military involvement mechanism has been identified. Netflix is a streaming entertainment service with no documented contracts, tender awards, or memoranda of understanding with Israeli Ministry of Defence, IDF, Israel Prison Service, Israel Border Police, or other Israeli state security bodies. No registered Israeli subsidiary exists; CEO Reed Hastings stated in 2016 that Netflix was “not planning [to open offices] in Israel” ¹. No FMS notification naming Netflix as a prime contractor has been identified.

Netflix distributes in Israel through Partner Communications Ltd. (PTNR), an Israeli telecommunications company with documented extensive ties to Israeli military and settlement activities, including a license for fixed communication services in West Bank and East Jerusalem settlements valid until January 2027, more than 200 cellular antennas on occupied land, sponsorship of IDF combat units including the Ezuz armored battalion and Shachar search and rescue unit, provision of services to IDF during the 2014 Gaza operation, and rent payments to settlements such as Beit El and Migron outpost for equipment on Palestinian land ⁵¹².

Counter-Arguments and Evidence Limits

Netflix’s strongest defense is the absence of direct military ties: no defense contracts, no dual-use products, no supply chain relationships with defense primes, no munitions or weapons systems involvement, and no verified export licensing or legal history connecting the company to Israeli military end-users. Netflix is not listed in the UN OHCHR Business and Human Rights database concerning settlement activity, nor in the Who Profits database as a direct operator in settlements. The UN Special Rapporteur’s July 2025 report names Elbit Systems, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Lockheed Martin but does not name Netflix ⁸¹³.

The limitation is that while Netflix has no direct military involvement, its distribution infrastructure passes through Partner Communications—a company with documented military and settlement ties. This represents indirect infrastructure integration with military-adjacent activity, though Netflix does not control Partner Communications’ operations.

Named Entities and Evidence Map

V-DIG: Digital

Mechanism of Involvement

No direct digital technology involvement with Israeli military, intelligence, or security bodies has been identified. Netflix’s enterprise technology infrastructure is built on Amazon Web Services following its complete migration from proprietary data centers in 2023 ¹¹. No direct procurement relationship between Netflix and Israeli-origin cybersecurity, cloud, or enterprise software vendors—including Check Point, Wiz, SentinelOne, CyberArk, Nice, Verint, Claroty, or Palo Alto Networks—has been identified in public records ¹⁸.

The identified digital involvement relates to infrastructure: Netflix’s Open Connect CDN is embedded within Partner Communications’ network, and Partner Communications is listed in the Who Profits database for operating telecommunications infrastructure on occupied land. Additionally, board member Strive Masiyiwa’s Cassava Technologies acquired Israeli company Telrad Group (networking, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity) in August 2022, though this is a personal investment vehicle, not Netflix corporate activity ⁸⁹¹⁰.

Counter-Arguments and Evidence Limits

Netflix’s strongest defense is the absence of documented direct technology relationships with Israeli defense or intelligence bodies. No verified contracts, partnerships, or service agreements between Netflix and Israeli Ministry of Defence, IDF, or intelligence agencies have been identified. Netflix’s AI and algorithmic systems relate to content recommendation—standard streaming industry functionality—rather than government or defense systems. No evidence identifies Netflix participation in Project Nimbus or comparable Israeli government cloud initiatives.

The limitation is that Netflix uses AWS globally, and AWS Israel is part of Project Nimbus serving Israeli government customers. However, no disclosed customer case demonstrates Netflix specifically uses AWS Israel for content delivery, and no evidence confirms Netflix’s data for Israeli subscribers processes through the Israeli region rather than Bahrain or UAE regions.

Named Entities and Evidence Map

V-ECON: Economic

Mechanism of Involvement

The economic involvement vector is the strongest documented pathway. Netflix operates in Israel through three economic mechanisms:

1. Distribution Infrastructure: Netflix’s Open Connect CDN is embedded within Israeli ISP networks, with Partner Communications (7 IPs), Bezeq International (9 IPs), Cellcom (5 IPs), and nine additional providers delivering streaming content ¹⁶. Partner Communications is listed in the Who Profits database for operating over 208 antennas on occupied land, paying rent to settlements, and sponsoring IDF combat units ¹²¹⁶.

2. Board-Level Settlement Profit: Mathias Döpfner, Netflix Board member since March 2018, is CEO and 22% shareholder of Axel Springer SE. Axel Springer’s Israeli subsidiary Yad2 publishes approximately 1,300 property listings in West Bank settlements, with over 1,000 being paid broker advertisements, generating direct profits from Israeli settlements ⁸.

3. Content Licensing: Netflix has licensed multiple Israeli series including “Fauda” (co-produced with yes TV), “When Heroes Fly” (Keshet International), “Shtisel,” and “Hostages” ¹³⁶⁷. Faraway Road Productions (co-founded by IDF veterans Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff) holds an overall deal with Netflix. The “Fauda” series has been filmed in IDF training zones used as West Bank stand-ins ¹⁹⁴.

Counter-Arguments and Evidence Limits

Netflix’s strongest defenses include: no registered Israeli subsidiary or corporate offices in Israel; no direct investments in Israeli sovereign bonds; not listed on the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global exclusion list; no Israeli technology acquisitions between 2020-2024; and the Employee Giving Program does not specify Israel-specific recipients.

The limitations are significant: Partner Communications is a direct business partner whose operations are documented in the Who Profits database; Mathias Döpfner’s position generates settlement profits through Axel Springer’s Yad2 platform; and content licensing arrangements involve Israeli productions with IDF connections. These represent indirect but documented economic connections to settlement activity.

Named Entities and Evidence Map

V-POL: Political

Mechanism of Involvement

The political involvement vector centers on content decisions and governance:

1. Content Removal: Netflix removed at least 24 films from the “Palestinian Stories” collection in October 2024, reducing it from 32 to approximately 13 titles. The collection was entirely erased in Israel, where 28 films had previously been available. Netflix stated the removal was due to expired licenses (2021-2024 three-year license), though the timing—one year into the Gaza military assault—drew criticism ^2131020.

2. Corporate Silence: Netflix has not issued any corporate statements specifically addressing the Israel-Gaza conflict that began in October 2023, despite extensive searches. The company has also not released public statements on other major geopolitical crises such as Ukraine or Sudan ²⁵.

3. Board Recognition: Mathias Döpfner received the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor in October 2025 from President Isaac Herzog for his “unique contribution” to Israel, described as “one of the most prominent and courageous voices in Europe in the longstanding fight against antisemitism and a staunch supporter of the state of Israel” ¹⁴¹⁵.

4. Lobbying and Political Spending: Netflix made a $50,000 corporate donation to Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox’s 2024 campaign. No Israel-specific political spending was identified. Major institutional shareholders include Vanguard Group (9.26%) and BlackRock (8.27%), both identified in the UN July 2025 report as major investors in companies supplying Israel’s military ⁵¹¹³.

Counter-Arguments and Evidence Limits

Netflix’s strongest defenses include: no documented direct lobbying on Israel-Palestine issues; no free services or cloud credits provided to Israeli military or government; the content removal was attributed to license expiration rather than political decision; and no verified public statements by executives on the conflict.

The limitations are notable: the timing of the Palestinian Stories removal during active hostilities; the complete erasure in Israel while maintaining some content elsewhere; the absence of any corporate statement on the conflict; and board-level recognition by the Israeli government. The license expiration explanation, while plausible, could not be independently verified.

Named Entities and Evidence Map

BDS-1000 Score (V4)

• V_MAX: 3.31 (V-POL)
• Sum_OTHERS: 1.31
• BRS Score: 223
• Tier: D (Moderate)

The V_MAX of 3.31 is driven by the V-POL domain, where the combination of high Impact (5.8) from content removal and board recognition, moderate Magnitude (4.0) from the scale of operations, and high Proximity (8.0) from direct involvement in content decisions yields the highest score. The tier reflects moderate complicity through indirect economic ties via distribution partners and board-level connections to settlement activity, balanced against the absence of direct military or defense technology involvement.

Methodology Note

• Evidence-only approach: All scores derived from documented evidence in the four domain audits; no speculative or unverified claims included.
• Scale-free Impact calculation: Impact (I) measures activity type severity—economic ties to settlement infrastructure (I=4.0), content decisions affecting Palestinian voices during active hostilities (I=5.8).
• Magnitude assessment: Magnitude (M) reflects scale of operations—full streaming service with CDN infrastructure (M=4.0 for V-ECON), corporate decisions affecting content library (M=4.0 for V-POL).
• Proximity scoring: Proximity (P) measures directness—distribution partner embedded in settlement infrastructure (P=4.0), direct content removal decisions (P=8.0).
• Temporal rule: Divested or exited operations would mitigate scores; Netflix maintains ongoing Israeli operations.
• Entity attribution: No transitive guilt—Netflix scored on its own documented activities, not those of partners or shareholders beyond direct board membership.
• Settlement operation dual-counting: V-ECON captures economic infrastructure through Partner Communications; V-POL captures political dimensions of content decisions—distinct mechanisms warrant separate scoring.

End Notes