Palantir, Oracle, Pfizer Chiefs Lobby US Lawmakers For Israel's Support Amid Hamas Attack, Hostage Crisis

The CEOs of major companies, including Palantir Technologies Inc. PLTR, Oracle Corp. ORCL, and Pfizer Inc. PFE, lobbied U.S. senators for support of Israel during its Gaza invasion and to find a solution for the hostages held by Hamas.

What Happened: Palantir’s Alexander Karp, Oracle’s Safra Catz, and Pfizer’s Albert Bourla, met with a bipartisan group of senators on Tuesday, reported Bloomberg. The meeting also discussed the potential role of countries like Saudi Arabia in a post-Hamas Gaza.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) revealed that the meeting touched on the possible involvement of countries like Saudi Arabia in the reconstruction of Gaza after Hamas. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) stated that the CEOs emphasized the release of hostages, but Israel would not accept any deal that leaves Hamas in power. Both the U.S. Department of State and the European Union's European Council have placed Hamas in their foreign terrorist organization lists.

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Meanwhile, two key Democratic holdouts in Congress have approved a significant arms sale to Israel, including 50 F-15 fighter jets, under pressure from the Biden administration. This sale had been blocked due to concerns about civilian casualties in Gaza.

Why It Matters: The CEOs’ lobbying for Israel comes in the wake of their previous public support for Israel. In March, Karp’s public support for the war-torn nation led to an employee exodus from Palantir.

In January, Palantir entered into a strategic collaboration with the Israeli Defense Ministry to provide technology support for the nation’s military operations.

The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict has drawn global attention, with tech leaders such as Elon Musk, Sundar Pichai, and Satya Nadella also condemning the violence and expressing their concerns.

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