V-POL Audit: Palantir

Corporate Communications & Public Stance

CEO Alex Karp has made multiple public statements defending Palantir’s Israeli defense partnerships. In November 2023, Karp stated Palantir is “deeply connected” to Israel and defended provision of AI tools to the IDF following October 7 attacks ¹². At Q3 2023 earnings calls, Karp and President Stephen Cohen characterized Palantir’s defense mission as existential and aligned with democratic allies’ military needs ³.

On October 30, 2023, Karp published an op-ed in The New York Times arguing that Western democracies must deploy lethal AI-enabled systems, with no civilian protection caveats ⁴. On April 14, 2024, Karp appeared on 60 Minutes defending the company’s role equipping military allies including Israel with AI targeting and intelligence tools, framing this as consistent with preserving “the liberal order” ⁵.

Karp spoke at the Hudson Institute on September 10, 2024 — after the ICJ’s July 2024 Advisory Opinion — with no acknowledgment of the Opinion ⁶. At Davos January 2025 — after ICC arrest warrants in November 2024 — Karp again characterized Palantir’s mission in terms of defending democratic allies with AI, with no reference to the warrants ⁶.

Palantir issued public statements and offered free software to Ukraine following Russia’s 2022 invasion ⁷. No analogous offer to Gaza-based humanitarian organizations has been identified. The company has issued no comparable public statements on Palestinian civilian casualties, ICJ proceedings, or UN calls for humanitarian pauses ⁷⁸.

Palantir announced strategic partnership with Israeli Ministry of Defense in January 2024 following meeting between Thiel, Karp, and Israeli defense officials in Tel Aviv, describing it as supporting “war-related missions” ²⁹¹⁰.

Karp acknowledged “We’ve lost employees, I’m sure we’ll lose employees” over his pro-Israel stance, characterizing support “wasn’t an economic decision” ¹¹. During a 2025 forum, Karp responded to a protester stating “Your technology kills Palestinians” with “That’s true, mostly terrorists” ¹².

Operations in Occupied or Contested Territories

Palantir signed a contract with the Israeli Ministry of Defense covering AI-enabled intelligence and operations software ¹. The contract was reportedly expanded in scope following October 7, 2023 ¹⁰.

Three diplomatic sources confirmed Palantir has a permanent desk at the US-led Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel, providing technological architecture for tracking Gaza aid deliveries ¹³. The same software (Gotham) could potentially be used for targeting, per Drop Site reporting ¹³.

Palantir’s Israeli operations appear based within the Green Line (Tel Aviv area). No publicly documented evidence places Palantir physical offices or subsidiary operations within Israeli settlements in the West Bank. No public evidence identified.

Palantir’s AIP (Artificial Intelligence Platform) has been reported as used by the IDF for targeting and battlefield operations in Gaza ¹³. However, investigative reporting confirms that Israeli AI targeting systems Lavender and Gospel (Habsora) are Israeli-developed systems, not Palantir products ¹⁴¹⁵¹⁶.

The BDS Movement issued a formal boycott call against Palantir in 2024, citing the IMOD contract and alleged role in AI-assisted targeting in Gaza ¹⁷. The “No Tech for Apartheid” coalition named Palantir in a March 2024 open letter [^33 in memo]. Who Profits maintains an active company profile documenting the IMOD contract ¹⁸. AFSC Investigate maintains an entry citing IMOD contract and +972/Local Call reporting ¹⁹.

No publicly documented legal proceedings, regulatory fines, or formal government investigations specifically targeting Palantir’s Israeli contracts have been identified in U.S., EU, or Israeli jurisdictions ¹¹. Palantir’s AIP use in Gaza has been cited in advocacy materials submitted to UN Special Rapporteurs, but no formal UN body finding or referral has been issued against Palantir specifically ⁹.

The UN Human Rights Office database of business enterprises involved in settlement activity was updated September 2025 with 158 companies. Could not definitively verify or exclude Palantir inclusion through available search results ⁸²⁰.

Storebrand, a Norwegian pension fund, divested from Palantir citing sales of products and services to Israel for use in occupied Palestinian territory ²¹.

Internal Governance, Content & Retail Policies

While there is documented internal employee concern about Israeli contracts, no publicly documented HR enforcement actions, firings, or disciplinary proceedings specifically linked to employee speech about Palestine or Israel have been identified. The documented departures were voluntary attrition, not terminations ¹¹.

In May 2025, 13 former employees publicly condemned the company in a letter to NPR ³. This represents organized dissent, not HR action against employees.

Palantir’s 2024 proxy statement (DEF 14A) confirms a shareholder proposal requesting a human rights due diligence report covering Palantir’s defense contracts was submitted. Under the Class F share structure, the founders’ voting bloc is sufficient to defeat any shareholder resolution. The proposal was voted down ⁷.

An investor coalition with $336+ billion AUM submitted a shareholder proposal requesting an independent Human Rights Impact Assessment, to be voted at the June 2026 AGM ¹⁴²². Norway’s sovereign wealth fund (Norges Bank Investment Management) backed human rights proposals at the June 2026 AGM ²³.

Palantir is an enterprise software company and does not operate consumer-facing content platforms or retail products. No public evidence identified of regulatory inquiries or academic studies examining Palantir for content moderation bias related to the conflict.

Brand Heritage & State Partnerships

Palantir’s commercial brand is built on its origins in U.S. intelligence and defense. The company markets its AIP platform using defense-heritage terminology (“battlefield-tested,” “mission-critical”) and presents its defense pedigree as a commercial differentiator ⁴⁵.

Palantir holds formal government partnerships with the U.S. Department of Defense, UK Ministry of Defence, and Israeli Ministry of Defense — all commercial contracts ¹²⁴³.

Alex Karp received the Herman Kahn Award at Hudson Institute’s November 2025 gala, confirming a formal affiliation with a policy organization that advocates for strong U.S.-Israel strategic ties ⁶.

£240.6 million contract awarded December 2025 without competitive tender, covering 2026-2029 data analytics for strategic/tactical/live operational decision-making. The contract was signed December 30, 2025 ²⁴³.

Palantir hired four ex-MoD officials in 2025 before winning the £240M contract, including Barnaby Kistruck who joined Palantir 9 days after leaving his MoD position as director of industrial strategy ²⁵.

No publicly documented evidence of Palantir corporate sponsorship of settlement events, corporate donations to settlement entities, or public political endorsement of settlements has been identified.

Lobbying, Advocacy, Financing & Logistics

Palantir is a registered federal lobbyist in the United States, with documented activity on defense appropriations, intelligence community contracts, and AI policy. No Israel-specific legislative target has been identified in available reporting summaries.

No publicly documented evidence of Palantir corporate donations to settlement-related organizations, FIDF, JNF, or Israeli parastatal military-welfare funds has been identified.

Peter Thiel is a documented major donor to U.S. political candidates and PACs, primarily aligned with Republican and libertarian-adjacent causes. Thiel signed public letters expressing support for Israel in October 2023 and October 2024 (the latter post-dating the ICJ Advisory Opinion). However, no confirmed, publicly documented personal donation to FIDF, JNF, or Israeli settlement organizations has been identified. Founders Fund has made portfolio investments in Israeli defense-tech startups during 2022-2024.

Following October 7, 2023, Palantir did not announce any donation of free software credits or humanitarian AI tools to Gaza-based civil society organizations. The IMOD contract — reportedly expanded following October 7 — represents the primary documented instance of Palantir directing corporate resources toward Israeli state operations during active conflict ¹³⁷.

Corporate Structure & Primary Mission

Palantir was incorporated in Delaware in 2003 and received seed funding from In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s venture capital arm. Its stated corporate mission is building software platforms for data integration and analysis used by governments and commercial enterprises.

Palantir operates a multi-class stock structure (Class A, B, and F shares) that concentrates voting control among its founders — Alex Karp, Peter Thiel, and Stephen Cohen. The Class F share mechanism gives founders supermajority influence over major corporate decisions ⁷.

Palantir’s revenue is heavily weighted toward U.S. government contracts. International government revenues, within which any Israeli Ministry of Defense contract would be categorized, are disclosed as a segment aggregate without country-level specificity in SEC filings ²⁶.

Palantir’s Q4 2024 shareholder letter (February 2025) and 2024 Annual Report continue to frame the company’s defense mission in geopolitical and civilizational terms. Neither document references the ICJ Advisory Opinion, the ICC arrest warrants, or any human rights due diligence framework applied to Israeli contracts ²⁶.

Executive & Leadership Footprint

Alex Karp — CEO: Public advocacy is extensive and unambiguous. Multiple documented statements defending Israeli defense partnerships with no calls for ceasefire, humanitarian corridor access, or restraint in AI targeting. No documented personal philanthropy to Israeli causes identified. Received Hudson Institute Herman Kahn Award November 2025 ⁶.

Peter Thiel — Co-Founder & Board Member: Major donor to U.S. political causes. Signed public letters supporting Israel in October 2023 and October 2024 (post-ICJ Advisory Opinion). Founders Fund portfolio investments in Israeli defense/cyber sectors 2022-2024. No confirmed personal donations to FIDF, JNF, or settlement organizations ²⁵.

Stephen Cohen — President: Made remarks at Q3 2023 earnings call characterizing Palantir’s defense mission in alignment with democratic allies’ military needs, with Israel referenced in that context. No separate personal philanthropy, board affiliations, or public advocacy statements identified.

The ICJ Advisory Opinion of July 19, 2024 found Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory unlawful. The ICC issued arrest warrants on November 21, 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant. Palantir’s public posture post-July 2024 and post-November 2024 is, on the documented record, unchanged from its pre-Advisory Opinion posture. No acknowledgment of these legal instruments has been identified in company communications ²⁶.

End Notes