This week, as major American corporations began their annual reporting season, executives spoke about the Israel-Hamas conflict and some of them started fundraising.
“I just wanted to express how horrified the recent terrible attacks on Israel have made us all feel. Before discussing the earnings, Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, stated during a conference call that “hatred and terrorism have no place in our civilised world.”
He issued a warning that the conflict in Ukraine and the Israeli attacks might have “far-reaching impacts on global trade, energy and food markets, and geopolitical relationships.”
“As the days have passed, the scope of the atrocities carried out against Israel and its citizens has become clearer and more horrific,” stated Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla on Thursday. We ourselves must act; simply denouncing terrorism and the deliberate targeting of innocent is insufficient.”
Quick action has been taken to mobilise fundraising efforts to ease the problem. Millions of dollars, as well as food and home items, military weapons, and clothing, have been sent by billionaires and Jewish individuals from the United States and Canada.
In a note to staff members on Thursday, UBS announced that it would match contributions of $5 million from staff members and clients and would seek to broaden its network of partners in order to assist displaced families with resettlement.
Jefferies announced on Friday that it has raised $13 million for NGOs that provide humanitarian help from its clients, partners, and employees. Michael Bloomberg, the co-founder of Bloomberg LP and a former mayor of New York City, contributed $2 million to the fund.
In addition to promising $2 million in relief, Goldman Sachs stated it would match employee contributions.
Delta Air Lines announced that it will give $1 million to the American Red Cross in lieu of continuing its flights to and from Israel until the end of this month.
Israel was mentioned by Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser in her opening remarks during the bank’s earnings call on Friday.
Many of our people have lost friends and loved ones, and we are a major bank in the nation,” Fraser stated. “There is a call to duty for others. They manage to maintain our bank operating in the nation despite everything they have to deal with. And to be honest, their dedication astounds me.”
In a broader sense, Fraser stated, “It is absolutely devastating to witness the price innocent civilians are paying as this crisis unfolds.”
During the company’s earnings call, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink spoke with Israel as well.
“Violence resulting in civilian casualties is generally condemned,” stated David Kotok, co-founder of Cumberland Advisors, an investment advisory firm located in Florida.
He pointed out that because of the political sensitivity of the dispute, businesses have avoided discussing specifics. “Once someone ventures into the space of, ‘who is the perpetrator and who is the victim,’ you enter into the exposure of social media disinformation and risk,” said Kotok.
Large IT company executives have also made forceful statements.
“The attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians is unjustified and inexcusable,” declared CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Antonio Neri. CEO of Amazon Andy Jassy described the attacks as “shocking and painful to watch.”
According to Amazon, it has a backup strategy in place to ensure that users in Israel may continue using its AWS cloud service. Following the European Union’s criticism of social media companies for their inadequate response to misinformation, Meta announced on Friday that it was taking action, including deleting praise and genuine support for Hamas from its platforms.
Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet, denounced “this historic evil” and stated that it was “important to call out and stand against antisemitism at this terrible moment.” In Israel, Google employs around 2,000 people across two locations.
The CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, expressed his grief over the terrible terrorist acts in Israel, the country where the company employs close to 3,000 people, on the social media site X, which was formerly Twitter.
Large corporations, such as Apple and Walmart, have not yet released statements, but some well-known individuals, such as NBA player LeBron James, have.
With a Palestinian father, supermodel Gigi Hadid posted on Instagram, saying, “While I have hopes and dreams for Palestinians, none of them include the harm of a Jewish person.”