In a controversial move, Google has terminated the employment of 28 employees who participated in sit-in protests against the tech giant's cloud computing contract with the Israeli government. The protests took place on Tuesday at Google offices in New York City and Sunnyvale, Calif., organized by the activist group No Tech for Apartheid.

The $1.2 billion contract, known as Project Nimbus, has been a subject of criticism since its signing in 2021. However, objections intensified amid the ongoing military campaign in Gaza by Israel in response to a surprise attack by Hamas on October 7th.

During the protests, a small number of protesting employees disrupted work and prevented access to Google facilities, leading to nine arrests. In a statement, a Google spokesperson condemned the actions, calling them a violation of company policies and completely unacceptable behavior. The spokesperson further stated that law enforcement was engaged to remove the protesters after they refused multiple requests to leave.

Google emphasized that its cloud computing services are provided to numerous governments worldwide and that the work with the Israeli government is not related to sensitive, classified, or military tasks. The company claims that the Nimbus contract involves Israeli government ministries utilizing its commercial cloud services in compliance with Google's Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy.

However, the activist group No Tech for Apartheid criticized Google's actions, referring to the firings as a "flagrant act of retaliation." They argued that the dismissals included employees who did not directly participate in the sit-in protests, suggesting that Google prioritizes its contract with the Israeli government over the well-being of its own workers.

As a result of the firings, tensions between Google and activists, as well as its own employees, have escalated. The situation raises broader concerns about the ethics and responsibilities of tech giants when forming contracts with controversial governments.

Google has stated it will continue to investigate and take action as needed. Meanwhile, public scrutiny of the cloud computing contract with the Israeli government is likely to persist, with more focus on the nature of the work being done and the impacts it may have in the region.