Israel used Palantir technology in Lebanon pager attacks, new book claims

According to a new book about Alex Karp, the co-founder of the technology company Palantir, Israel utilized the company’s software in its 2024 pager attacks in Lebanon.

On September 17, thousands of pagers belonging to Hezbollah members, including civilians not involved in any armed activity, were detonated across Lebanon.

Many devices displayed “error” messages and vibrated loudly before exploding, which drew Hezbollah members and, in some cases, their families closer to the devices at the moment of detonation.

The next day, more communication devices were detonated, including during the funeral processions for Hezbollah members and civilians killed the previous day.

A total of 42 people were killed in the attacks, and thousands were injured. Many of the wounded sustained life-altering permanent damage to their eyes, faces, and hands.

Israelis used the company’s technology

According to the Middle East Eye (MEE) news site, Karp’s new biography reveals that Israel intensified its use of the company’s technology after launching its war on Gaza in October 2023, utilizing it in numerous operations.

Michael Steinberger, author of the book The Philosopher in the Valley: Alex Karp, Palantir, and the Rise of the Surveillance State, wrote, “The company’s technology was used by the Israelis during military operations in Lebanon in 2024 to eliminate Hezbollah’s senior leadership.”

Steinberger stated, “The technology was also used in ‘Operation Grim Beeper,’ in which hundreds of Hezbollah militants were injured and maimed by the explosion of their pagers and walkie-talkies. The Israelis had booby-trapped these devices.”

The author noted that Israel’s request for assistance from Palantir was “so great that the company sent a team of engineers from London to bring the Israeli users online.”

UN report: Technology companies profit from crimes

In recent years, the involvement of various technology companies in Israel’s attacks on its neighbors and its surveillance of Palestinians has drawn criticism from rights advocates and UN officials.

In a report prepared in July by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, many technology companies were accused of profiting from crimes such as illegal occupation, apartheid, and genocide in occupied Palestine.

The report referenced artificial intelligence systems developed by the Israeli military to process and generate targets during the war in Gaza.

“There are reasonable grounds to believe that Palantir provided its Artificial Intelligence Platform, which allows for the integration of real-time battlefield data for automated decision-making, a foundational defense infrastructure for the rapid and scaled construction and deployment of military software, and its automated predictive policing technology,” the report stated.

In her report, Albanese called on UN member states to suspend all trade agreements and investor relations with any individual or entity that endangers Palestinians.

She also added that the International Criminal Court and national judicial bodies should initiate investigations and prosecutions against company executives and legal entities for their “roles in the commission of international crimes and the laundering of proceeds from these crimes.”