Palantir: How a US spy-tech firm with links to Israel’s genocide infiltrated the British state
AI Summary
Palantir, a US spy-tech firm linked with Israeli military actions in Gaza, has secured over £670 million in UK government contracts, raising ethical and national security concerns. Reports suggest Palantir’s technology supports controversial operations, fueling calls from advocacy groups to terminate its UK public service contracts.
Palantir: How a US spy-tech firm with links to Israel’s genocide infiltrated the British state Fleur Hargreaves on Sat, 06/27/2026 - 16:20 MPs and advocacy groups warn UK government’s £670m worth of contracts with Palantir is an ‘unacceptable point of weakness’ Police officers patrol past the Palantir's booth during the World Economic Forum in Davos on 19 January 2026 (Ina Fassbender/AFP) Off Since 2020, Palantir, the controversial US data surveillance firm with links to Israeli abuses in occupied Palestine, has won over £670m in contracts with British civil and defence industries, raising both ethical and national-security concerns among politicians and campaigners. Chief among those are a £330m contract with the NHS and a £240m deal with the Ministry of Defence (MoD), alongside a £15m contract related to Britain’s nuclear deterrent. Despite a lack of transparency around the extent of Palantir’s deals in the UK’s public services, at least 34 contracts have been uncovered within sectors including the police, child social care, refugee schemes and the environment. In January 2024, Palantir announced a partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Defence to deploy its technology in support of “war related missions” that use drone-fired missiles to target civilians in Gaza, including journalists and aid workers. In April 2025, Palantir's chief executive Alex Karp responded to accusations that Palantir technology had enabled the killing of Palestinians in Gaza by saying “mostly terrorists, that’s true”. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); A report by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese suggested this indicates the firm had “executive-level knowledge and purpose vis-a-vis the unlawful use of force by Israel” in Palestine. The Pentagon is reportedly investigating if Maven, the AI system run by Palantir to identify and target military victims, played a role in the US “double-tap” missile strike on an Iranian girls’ school in February which killed over 170 people, mainly children. Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International UK’s crisis response manager, told Middle East Eye that “Palantir’s software has been used to support Israel’s ongoing genocide and apartheid in occupied Gaza… a company profiting from human rights abuses should have no place in British public services, including in our NHS. 'Palantir’s software has been used to support Israel’s ongoing genocide and apartheid in occupied Gaza… a company profiting from human rights abuses should have no place in British public services' - Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International UK “The contracts should be terminated and replaced with providers that are not contributing to genocide, apartheid and other international crimes.” Palantir is also controversial for its reactionary rhetoric. In a 22-point manifesto published on social media detailing the company’s goals, Palantir drew criticism for broadcasting ethnic supremacy in writing “Some cultures have produced vital advances; others remain dysfunctional and regressive” and “No other country in the history of the world has advanced progressive values more than [the US]”. Another point read: “The question is not whether AI weapons will be built; it is who will build them and for what purpose.” Partially funded by the CIA at its inception, Palantir was founded by right-wing tech billionaire Peter Thiel, who famously stated “I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible” and is known for his obsessive quest for the Antichrist who will usher in the end of the world. Thiel is a major US Republican donor with a close relationship with Donald Trump, having thrown a celebration party for the president's 2024 inauguration at his DC home, attended by US Vice President JD Vance as well as Silicon Valley CEOs like Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI’s Sam Altman. A recent website leak exposed the invitation list to Thiel’s secret “Dialog” society retreats, including 200 of the world’s rich and powerful, which featured panels on cult-building, sex and prepping for World War III. Mandelson and the MoD contract An audio recording released as part of the Jeffrey Epstein files revealed that it was the late financier and convicted sex offender who first introduced former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak to Thiel, advising Barak to “look at” Palantir in 2013. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The files also documented the close relationship between Epstein and the disgraced former British ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, whose lobbying company, Global Counsel, counted Palantir among its clients. Mandelson accompanied Starmer on a visit to Palantir’s Washington headquarters in February 2025. No minutes from their meeting have been published, and the unredacted contracts are yet to be released, despite public pressure and multiple Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, including from MEE, citing exemptions under defence a