NEARLY 2,000 workers at Amazon and Google have called on the tech giants to pull out of a controversial contract that they say will be used for the systematic oppression of the Palestinian people.

Describing themselves as “employees of conscience,” they have published an open letter demanding that the companies sever ties with the Israeli military and “stop contracting with any and all militarised organisations in the US and beyond.

“We are anonymous because we fear retaliation,” the workers wrote as they urged the transnationals to pull the plug on Project Nimbus, a $1.2bn (£870m) contract to provide cloud services for the Israeli military and government.

“The technology our companies have contracted to build will make the systematic discrimination and displacement carried out by the Israeli military government even crueller and deadlier for Palestinians,” the letter warns.

“This technology allows for further surveillance of and unlawful data collection on Palestinians, and facilitates expansion of Israel’s illegal settlements on Palestinian land.

“We cannot look the other way, as the products we build are used to deny Palestinians their basic rights, force Palestinians out of their homes and attack Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”

The letter appeals to workers “to join with us in building a world where technology promotes safety and dignity for all.”