Tech companies are offering their workers in Dublin the chance to donate to charities supporting Israeli soldiers and veterans – and offering to match their donations.
For example, Workday offers its employees the chance to donate to a wide range of charities supporting causes all over the world, including American Friends of Israel Navy Seals, according to a screenshot from last week.
And eBay offers its employees the chance to donate to loads of charities, including Friends of the Israel Defence Forces, according to a screenshot from last week.
This is done via Benevity, software that helps companies to make it easy for their staff to donate to charities around the world, supporting a wide range of causes. And for the company to match those donations.
In the screenshot from Workday’s system, the button to press for American Friends of Israeli Navy Seals has a tag saying “Matching Offer”. Workday has not responded to a query about this sent Friday.
In a screenshot from eBay’s system, giving information about the Friends of the Israeli Defence Forces (“About This Cause”) says “100% donation matching” and “Matching by eBay Foundation”. EBay hasn’t responded to a query about this sent Friday.
Zoë Lawlor, chairperson of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said that, “Although appalling, this news is not surprising given how much of the tech and ‘start-up’ world have embraced – and in many cases, actively aided and abetted Israel’s regime of apartheid.”
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on 21 November issued warrants of arrest for Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and its former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, for crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Benevity is “committed to giving their clients access to as many nonprofits as possible so clients and donors can give as matches their concerns and values”, a Benevity spokesperson said Monday.
“All nonprofits go through a vetting process and are required to be in good standing with their local regulatory bodies and government,” she said. “This is in addition to required adherence to Benevity’s Causes Terms of Use and Platform Guidelines.”
Causes
Among the organisations Workday employees in Dublin can donate to, and which on Workday’s portal to the Benevity platform are marked “Donation Match”, there are several that support the Israeli military, or its veterans.
American Friends of Israeli Navy Seals’s (AFIN’s) website says “We meet the emergency needs of SEALs and bereaved families, be they social, professional or financial.”
Since Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October, AFIN has “established a logistics center that assists us in purchasing personal equipment for soldiers in the reserves and in transporting it to the base and to any other location where unit soldiers are deployed”, AFIN’s website says.
“We have acquired essential equipment for our soldiers, including mobile chargers, toiletries, thermal shirts, underware, socks, and more,” it says.
American Friends of Peace of Mind, which supports the Metiv Israel Psychtrauma Center “generally and its Peace of Mind project for IDF veterans in particular”.
“Peace of Mind provides time and space for IDF combat veterans to process their combat experiences in a supportive environment,” the organisation’s website says.
American Friends of LIBI, “strives to support Israeli soldiers by providing for their welfare through funding educational, religious, social and recreational activities not covered in the IDF’s defense budget”, its website says.
LIBI, the website says, is the official fund of the Israeli Defence Forces. “‘LIBI’, in Hebrew, means ‘My heart’. Those who support LIBI are supporting Israeli soldiers from the bottom of their hearts.”
Among the organisations that eBay workers in Dublin can support is the Friends of the Israeli Defence Forces (FIDF), which describes itself as “is a non-political, non-military organization that provides for wellbeing of the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), veterans and family members.”
Among other programs, “FIDF funds programs for combat soldiers aimed at alleviating financial stress, economic insecurity, or distraction, allowing their minds to focus entirely on the complex military missions at hand.”
Benevity’s “Terms of Use” says that when considering whether to allow an organisation on its platform, “it will consider a number of factors including without limitation your: … not funding, either directly or indirectly and regardless of whether or not an active war is being waged, any military expenses.”
Its “Platform Guidelines” say organisations engaged in “military activities” won’t be allowed on the platform. However, providing soldiers and veterans with things like financial support, education, hygiene kits, or bullet-proof vests is okay, they say.
“There are two things that we do not tolerate on the Benevity platform: discrimination and hate speech,” the Platform Guidelines say.
Asked Friday what Benevity’s position is on facilitating support for Israel’s war effort, given the international condemnation of this war effort, including the ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, a spokesperson did not give a direct answer.
Benevity
In 2023, $3.2 billion was donated to nonprofits by more than 2.3 million people from 800+ companies through the Benevity platform, the company said in a January press release.
This was up 18 percent compared to 2022, “demonstrating the power of corporations in driving giving behaviour and purpose-driven actions”, it said.
There’s a ranked list of Benevity’s “Top Causes Supported by Companies and Their People”, and the top five are the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, and Planned Parenthood.
The list also includes Islamic Relief, Palestine Red Crescent Society Al-Bireh Branch, American Friends of Magen David Adom, and Magen David Adom in Israel.
Magen David Adom’s website says it is “Israel’s only national Emergency Medical Service and blood services organization.”
Although organisations supporting Israel’s serving soldiers and veterans are among those that workers in some Dublin tech companies can give to via Benevity, boosted with matching donations from their employers – it’s unclear whether any actually did.
Neither Workday nor eBay has responded to queries sent Friday asking whether they were comfortable facilitating donations to organisations supporting Israel’s war effort. Or whether they are comfortable giving their own money to such organisations.
Lawlor, chairperson of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said by email that “It is unconscionable that as Israel is under investigation by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for genocide” and after the ICC arrest warrants, “that any company would be giving material support to the Israeli military.”
