Boulder Councilwoman Adams Cites UN Report, Calls for Council to live City’s Values, Meet Fiduciary Responsibilities
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Statement: Boulder City Councilwoman Adams Cites United Nations Report, Calls for Council to Live City’s Values, Meet Fiduciary Responsibilities by Divesting from Businesses Profiting from Palestinian Genocide
Boulder, Colorado (July 29, 2025) – Boulder City Councilwoman Taishya Adams releases the following statement in response to misinformation offered by her council colleagues in a July 28 social media post:
“I will not dignify the misinformation shared by Councilmember Matt Benjamin and Councilmember Mark Wallach in an attempt to distract from the real work and conversations our Council has ahead of us. Let me be clear; injustice to any individual or group of people is wrong and must be followed by repair and restitution.
Our local actions have a global impact – right now, the Boulder City Council has an opportunity to match our actions with our values instead of creating an avenue for deeper divisions and mistrust.
My unwavering focus right now is on encouraging my fellow council members to vote on divestment from war criminals that are committing an ecocide and genocide with the help of our local tax dollars. In my July 25 written request to our Council Agenda Committee – which included Councilmember Matt Benjamin, as a rotating committee member – I asked to revisit our discussion on our City of Boulder Investment Portfolio based on new evidence identified in the July 2025 United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur report, From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide specific to the investments in Caterpillar and Microsoft. The report provides specific evidence of these companies' actions that misalign with our City of Boulder values. I believe it is critical that our City aligns our investments with our human relations and environmental values and goals – there is nothing incendiary about that.
Rather than put forth a perfunctory letter, I implore Councilmembers Matt Benjamin and Mark Wallach to agree to a discussion and Council action where we can also welcome Boulder’s community to speak during open comment. And, I will continue to be consistent in speaking out on injustices – including our city’s debt to tribal nations.”
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Contact: Betsy López-Wagner, López-Wagner Strategies, betsy@equitablecomms.com.
Additional background via July 2025 United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur report, From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide:
"For decades, Caterpillar Inc.[116] has provided Israel with equipment used to demolish Palestinian homes and infrastructure,[117] through both the US Foreign Military Financing programme[118] and an exclusive licensee requisitioned by Israeli law into the military.[119] In partnership with companies like IAI,[120] Elbit Systems[121] and Leonardo-owned RADA Electronic Industries,[122] Israel has evolved Caterpillar’s D9 bulldozer into automated, remote-commanded core weaponry of the Israeli military,[123] deployed in almost every military activity since 2000, clearing incursion lines, “neutralizing” the territory and killing Palestinians.[124] Since October 2023, Caterpillar equipment has been documented in use carrying out mass demolitions[125] – including of homes,[126] mosques[127] and life-sustaining infrastructure[128] – raid hospitals[129] and crushing Palestinians to death.[130] In 2025, Caterpillar secured a further multi-million dollar contract with Israel.[131]."
Microsoft has been active in Israel since 1991, developing its largest centre outside the US.[94] Its technologies are embedded in the prison service, police, universities and schools – including in colonies.[95] Since 2003, Microsoft has integrated its systems and civilian tech across the Israeli military,[96] while acquiring Israeli cybersecurity and surveillance start-ups.[97] As Israel’s apartheid, military and population-control systems generate increasing volumes of data, its reliance on cloud storage and computing has grown. In 2021, Israel awarded Alphabet Inc (Google) and Amazon.com Inc. a $1.2 billion contract (Project Nimbus)[98] – largely funded through Ministry of Defense expenditure[99] – to provide core tech infrastructure. Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon grant Israel virtually government-wide access to their cloud and AI technologies, enhancing data processing, decision-making and surveillance/analysis capacities.[100] In October 2023, when Israel’s internal military cloud overloaded,[101] Microsoft Azure and Project Nimbus Consortium stepped in with critical cloud and AI infrastructure.[102] Their Israel-located servers ensure data sovereignty and a shield from accountability,[103] under favourable contracts offering minimal restrictions or oversight.[104] In July 2024, an Israeli colonel described cloud tech as “a weapon in every sense of the word”, citing these companies.[105].
