Amazon removes controversial video of executive wearing necklace showing Palestinian flag over Israel

Amazon removed a controversial video this week showing an executive wearing a necklace depicting a Palestinian flag over Israel.

Ruba Borno, vice president of Global Specialists and Partner Organizations at Amazon Web Services, was featured in a video promoting the company’s upcoming AWS re:Invent conference. Although it wasn’t pointed out, some viewers noticed the necklace and threatened to cancel their Amazon subscription in response.

After a few days of silence, Amazon removed the video.

Amazon Web Services Vice President Ruba Borno was seen wearing a Palestinian necklace in a promotional video. (X screenshot)

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In a statement to Fox Business, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed that the video had been removed and would be replaced.

“The violence and loss of life that occurs every day in the Middle East is tragic, and at Amazon, our hearts and thoughts go out to any individual or community affected. Our leaders remain in regular contact with our teams based in the region to offer our The video filmed was not intended to be a political statement, but we have removed the video and will re-release a new one in the coming days,” the statement said .

Borno is a Palestinian refugee whose family lived in Kuwait until Saddam Hussein’s invasion in 1990. Shortly after, she and her family moved to the United States with the help of the American Embassy. She was hired by Amazon Web Services in November 2021.

Amazon later removed the video after backlash. (Photo illustration by Jaque Silva/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)

According to her LinkedIn profile, Borno also works as a Young Global Leader for the World Economic Forum, where she has served since 2019.

The video was released days after the first anniversary of Hamas’ deadly terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which 101 people remain held hostage. Among these people is Sasha Troufanov, an Amazon employee based in Israel.

Amazon has not yet acknowledged his kidnapping.

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Amazon did not acknowledge that one of its employees was being held hostage by Hamas. (Amazon/Fox News website)

However, Amazon CEO Andy Jassey acknowledged the attack at the time and said he was reaching out to area employees and their families.

“The attacks on civilians in Israel are shocking and painful to watch,” he wrote, adding that Amazon is helping “in any way possible during this very difficult time.”

Daniella Genovese of Fox Business contributed to this report.

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