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Cloud Deal Sparks Controversy Over Payments to Israel

10/30/2025

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Summary

Story summary

The Guardian reports a "winking mechanism" in the 2021 Nimbus cloud computing deal between Israel, Amazon, and Google.
This mechanism mandates coded payments to Israel for foreign data requests, with a US request triggering a payment of 1,000 shekels.
Amazon and Google deny wrongdoing, stating they comply with legal obligations.
Israeli officials assert the system is necessary for controlling sensitive data, while the Israeli Ministry of Finance calls legal violation claims baseless.

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Story summary

The Guardian reports a "winking mechanism" in the 2021 Nimbus cloud computing deal between Israel, Amazon, and Google.
This mechanism mandates coded payments to Israel for foreign data requests, with a US request triggering a payment of 1,000 shekels.
Amazon and Google deny wrongdoing, stating they comply with legal obligations.
Israeli officials assert the system is necessary for controlling sensitive data, while the Israeli Ministry of Finance calls legal violation claims baseless.