Intel Corporation

Intel Corporation represents the most strategically significant target for economic pressure campaigns due to its unparalleled position as Israel's largest private employer and biggest international investor. With approximately 12,000 employees, $50+ billion in cumulative investment, and exports constituting 1.75% of Israel's GDP, Intel's operations are foundational to the Israeli economy. The company has commercial ties with Israel, which the International Court of Justice found faces a 'plausible' genocide case (January 2024) and whose officials the ICC has charged with crimes against humanity including extermination (November 2024).

Key Leverage Points

• Nakba Land Connection: Intel's Kiryat Gat manufacturing facilities are built on land where Palestinian villages Iraq al-Manshiyya and Al-Faluja were destroyed in 1948. Approximately 47,600 refugees (including descendants) were expelled in violation of 1949 armistice guarantees filed with the UN. This creates powerful narrative framing for campaigns.
• $25bn Expansion Halt: Intel's June 2024 decision to halt the largest-ever foreign investment in Israel demonstrates vulnerability to sustained pressure. The BDS Movement called this their 'biggest victory ever,' though noted Intel 'remains deeply complicit.'
• Shareholder Activism: The 2025 'Ethical Impact Assessment' shareholder proposal creates opportunity for institutional investor engagement. Major shareholders (Vanguard, BlackRock, State Street) increasingly face ESG pressure.
• Procurement Alternatives: AMD's competitive Ryzen and EPYC processors provide viable alternatives for both consumer and enterprise purchasing, enabling procurement substitution campaigns.
• Military Integration: Intel processors documented in Israeli weapon systems (Elbit MK7 tactical computers in Merkava tanks) create direct complicity connection beyond economic support.

Evidence Summary

Documentation from the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) establishes Intel's unique position in the Israeli economy. Intel is Israel's third-largest country of operation by asset size after the United States and Ireland, with Israeli assets representing nearly 10% of the company's global property, plant, and equipment. The company has invested $27 billion in Israel between 1974-2021, with an additional $25 billion announced in December 2023 (subsequently halted).

AFSC research confirms Intel's microprocessors are integrated into Israeli weapon systems, including Elbit Systems' MK7 Enhanced Tactical Computer (Intel i7 Quad Core) used in Merkava battle tanks. These weapon systems have been documented in operations the ICC has charged constitute crimes against humanity. The company's Kiryat Gat facilities operate on land specifically incentivised by the Israeli government to alter the demographic composition of the Naqab/Negev region, where a large Palestinian Bedouin population lives.

Engagement Strategy

Campaign efforts should prioritise the #BoycottIntel campaign launched by the Palestinian BDS Movement, which calls for consumer boycott of Intel-powered devices, investor divestment, and institutional exclusion from tenders. The halting of the $25bn expansion demonstrates that sustained pressure can impact Intel's Israel strategy even if complete disengagement remains unlikely given 50-year sunk costs. Enterprise procurement teams should be engaged with AMD EPYC alternatives for data centre purchasing. The Nakba land connection provides compelling narrative framing for student campaigns and institutional divestment motions. Municipal divestment (following Hayward, California's January 2024 precedent) offers achievable near-term wins. Shareholder activism around the 2025 Ethical Impact Assessment proposal should be supported and amplified.