Palo Alto Networks:

The Key to the Israeli Military-to-Tech-to-Military Pipeline

A brief note on how this report was put together. This report consulted primary sources via the investor database Crunchbase. The network of companies, staff and official Israeli military roles was established via Linkedin and the business press. The majority of media reports cited are Israeli news sites. A full source list and flow chart follows the main document.

This report was prepared by Otago Staff for Palestine, a group committed to upholding the academic social responsibility of critic and conscience. We are academics across myriad disciplines and with expertise in international law, peace and conflict studies, the political economy of technology, criminology, psychology, political theory and international relations.

Summary

Palo Alto Networks is a cyber-security company founded by Nir Zuk. Zuk is a veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces signal intelligence division Unit 8200. Palo Alto Networks is a dual-listed public company on both the NASDAQ and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE). Its corporate headquarters are based in Santa Clara, California, but its R&D facilities are based in Tel Aviv. Recent reporting in the Israeli press [1] that Palo Alto is eyeing a ‘Mega Tel Aviv Campus’ of 10,000 sqm. It is the most valuable company on the TASE at $133 billion USD market cap, and is a flagship company for Israel’s identity as the “Start-Up Nation”. It has approximately 2,600 employees who are the ‘strategic core’ of the company. [2] It is a company connected to the occupation of Palestine, the genocide in Gaza and Israel’s warfare economy. Palo Alto is not just an American-Israeli company. Rather, they have been described as the key entity in the ‘battleship of Israel’s economy’.[3] This report will outline Palo Alto’s history as an extension of Unit 8200, the focal point of Israel’s military and economic mission. It will identify the personnel, investments and subsidiaries that strengthen and “techwash” Israel’s genocide.

Key Findings

Palo Alto is the largest company on the TASE
The company was founded by a former member of and maintains relations with Unit 8200, the intelligence division of the Israeli army
Unit 8200 has a well-documented record of war crimes and assassination
Employees such as Lavi Lazorvitz have actively served during the Gaza genocide
The company is planning a 10,000 sqm campus in Tel Aviv
The company has 2,600 employees in Israel
The company has a $160 million USD contract with an undisclosed major Israeli customer
University collaboration is a key priority of Israeli tech
Aggressive mergers and acquisitions have consolidated the influence of Unit 8200 and the control Palo Alto holds over significant portions of the cyber security sector.
University’s due diligence process did not identify links between Palo Alto and the Israeli military

Palo Alto Networks Background

Palo Alto was founded by Nir Zuk who served as the founder and chief technology officer from 2005-2025. By Zuk’s own telling, his passion as a teenager for creating computer viruses led to his recruitment by Unit 8200[4]. There he met the co-founders of Check Point, the Israeli cybersecurity company that would lead the field of cybersecurity until it was dethroned by Palo Alto in 2014[5]. Palo Alto’s signature product was its “Next-Gen Firewall” and an ability to provide cloud, network and operations security. Zuk has described his ‘master plan’ for Palo Alto as the consolidation of ‘not just the network security market but the entire cyber security market into a single platform’[6].

He has interwoven this corporate mission with Israel’s national defense, economy and sense of pride. He is a champion of the national image of Israel as the “Start-Up Nation”. Writing for the Israeli business-tech paper Calcalist, Zuk described innovation as the core national value that led to his move back to Israel. He expressed pride in the creation of a ‘high-tech industry that the whole world looks up to’[7]. ‘Innovation’, he writes, ‘is not just an economic value; it’s a crucial part of our national resilience and permeates all aspects of our lives’[8]. Some in the Israeli tech sector have been critical of Netanyahu and his attacks on the judiciary[9], but not Palo Alto. The cyber-security sector is deeply interwoven with the national security mission of Israel. In fact, a recent report by the Times of Israel quoted Defense Ministry Director Amir Baram describing the transition of Israel from a “cyber-nation into a true defense tech nation.”[10] Netanyahu has spoken of his desire for Israel to become a “Super Sparta”, being weaponized against a global community that would seek to isolate Israel and its flagship companies. As a result of the partnerships that have enabled and supported the Gaza genocide, the Israeli economy has been buoyed by the tech sector with Palo Alto at the forefront. A report by the NGO Startup Nation Central and Israel’s Reichman University’s Aaron Institute described the sector as the ‘battleship of Israel’s economy[11]’ and highlighted Palo Alto and its acquisition of Cyberark as the prime bounty for the economy during this period. It also identified the key priorities for Israeli tech as ‘artificial intelligence[12], collaboration with universities’[13], something that Palo Alto has exemplified.

The Cyberark deal will be discussed below, but for Nir Zuk it represented the culmination of his life’s work. As he told Calacist ‘I can retire with peace’[14]. This deal represented the transformation of Palo Alto into a ‘unified cybersecurity platform spanning every major defensive category an enterprise might need’[15]. The critical piece added by the acquisition of Cyberark is identity and security management for artificial intelligence.

The reason the deal represented such a triumph for the Israeli-tech sector in general was spelled out by the Israeli news site Ynet. They write that:

Many Israeli cybersecurity firms operate within [a] fragmented model, founded by veterans of elite military tech units like Unit 8200. While they offer excellent technology, their solutions are often limited in scope. As a result, it’s difficult for most Israeli companies to scale into global giants…That’s where the Palo Alto–CyberArk deal takes on deeper significance…This deal signals a joint ambition to build a merged global leader. What Palo Alto offers CyberArk isn’t just a generous stock valuation, though that alone would be hard to refuse, but the opportunity to shape the future of global cybersecurity leadership[16].

In this way Zuk’s mission and Palo Alto’s buoying of Unit 8200-led start-ups is a consolidation of Israel’s tech-led national security and economic strategy. In March of this year, Palo Alto was part of a $160 million USD network security contract for an undisclosed ‘major customer in Israel’[17], a lucrative sum by industry standards that was ‘Israel’s largest network security tender’. Palo Alto’s listing on the TASE and plans to create a 10,000 sqm mega campus in Tel Aviv represent a renewed dedication to this Israeli mission. As the chairman and CEO of Palo Alto put it, “you can’t separate the company from its founder…[and] our commitment to Israel has not changed despite the fact that Nir is not actively at Palo Alto.”[18]

Unit 8200

Unit 8200 is the intelligence division of the Israeli military responsible for clandestine operations, signal intelligence, cyberwarfare and surveillance. It has created a pipeline from the frontlines of occupation and war to the tech sector and Silicon Valley. Veterans like Zuk and countless others trade in their military reputation and skills gained in what Antony Loewenstein calls the “Palestine Laboratory”. Their skills are deemed ‘battle-tested’ on the frontlines with the unit dubbed the ‘Ivy League of global cybersecurity’[19]. Loewenstein writes that:

Its primary goal is mass monitoring of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, detailing all their personal and political information, and listening to communications from allies and foes across the world[20].

The Israeli model of apartheid and a permanently mobilized society with mandatory conscription is predicated upon mass surveillance, crippling control of Palestinian life and sophisticated weaponry. The veteran Israeli journalist Ronen Bergman is blunt, calling Unit 8200 ‘a production line for targeted killings’ and the key unit ‘deciding whom Israel killed’ [21] .The normalcy of Israeli society is built upon a sense of massively disproportionate technological and military superiority. The mystique of Unit 8200 start-ups trades in this fantasy.

Throughout the genocide in Palestine and wars on Lebanon and Iran, Unit 8200 has been responsible for brazen war crimes and acts of terror. In September 2024, Unit 8200 and the Mossad were credited[22] with the detonation of thousands of beepers in Lebanon in an indiscriminate attack nominally aimed at Hezbollah. The UN called it a ‘terrifying violation of international law’ that killed 32 people, including children, left 200 critically wounded and blinded 500[23]. Despite the rhetoric of high-tech precision, Unit 8200 have been party to the mass obliteration of civilian infrastructure with unguided munitions. The Israeli publication +972 Mag has detailed AI target acquisition programs developed by Unit 8200 including ‘Lavender’, ‘The Gospel’ and ‘Where’s Daddy?’[24]. These programs have been dubbed a ‘mass assassination factory’, with Palestinians targeted in their homes and with huge numbers of civilian [25] which specifically targeted male Palestinians in their homes with their families during the evening and night hours[26]. IDF officers tasked with using these programs have said that selection criteria for assassination are vague, the parameters allow for hundreds of civilian deaths as collateral damage and that ‘target generation goes crazy’[27], producing kill lists with little to no human oversight. As a result of this tech-accelerated genocide, over 2,700 Gazan family trees have been completely wiped out[28].

This is the reality of genocide-tested technology, and it has become a legal and political liability for the Western technology supply chain. In response to reports that Microsoft’s Azure cloud was being used by Unit 8200 and its AI targeting program, Microsoft terminated the unit’s access to the cloud[29] at a potential cost of hundreds of millions in revenue[30].

Palo Alto-Unit 8200 Pipeline

The links to Unit 8200 are not simply a relic of Nir Zuk’s bio but an active part of the company’s business, growth and acquisition strategies. As Ynet described, the cyber battalion of Unit 8200 cyber start-ups are now unified under the Palo Alto platform. This section will chart the acquisitions and investments that are part of Palo Alto’s network and solidify the ties to active service members in the Israeli security forces.

The most high-profile deal to date was the acquisition of CyberArk for $25 billion in July 2025. CyberArk’s identity security and AI products have been dubbed the missing piece of the Palo Alto platform and shot the company to a valuation of over $120 billion USD. CyberArk is typical of the sector, with its founders, Alon Cohen and Udi Mokady, both veterans of Unit 8200. Cyberark are not shy about this connection. In June 2025, Lavi Lazorvitz, participated in the Cyberark World Tour and appeared as an active-duty Israeli Airforce major while in the Netherlands[31]. The Hind Rijab Foundation is a legal NGO which pursues legal action against participants in the Gaza genocide. They filed a detailed complaint to Dutch authorities against Lazorvitz citing the principle of universal jurisdiction in crimes of war. Lazorvitz is currently the head of Palo Alto’s Identity Security Lab[32].

With a staff of over 2,600, Palo Alto will have many active service members who have participated in Israel’s genocide in Gaza and in regional wars. Thus, the “strategic core” of the company is comprised in part of people who are actively testing and deploying tech applications in the context of genocide and illegal wars of aggression.

In 2017 Palo Alto acquired the cybersecurity company Lightcyber, for over $100 million USD. Lightcyber was cofounded by Unit 8200 veterans Giora Engel and Michael Mumcuoglu.

In 2018, Palo Alto acquired Secdo for $100 million USD with 8200 founders Gil Barak and Shai Morag.

In 2023, Palo Alto acquired Dig Security in 2023 for $300 million USD. Dig Security was cofounded by Unit 8200 its 8200 veterans Dan Benjamin and Ido Azaran. Azaran[33] and Benjamin[34] both currently work at Palo Alto in identity and security.

In 2024, Talon cybersecurity was acquired for $625 million USD. Talon was co-founded by Unit 8200 veterans Ohad Bobrov[35] and Ofer Ben-Noon[36] who are both senior execs at Palo Alto.

In April 2026 Palo Alto acquired Koi for $400 million USD. Koi was founded by Unit 8200 veterans Amit Assaraf, Idan Dardikman, and Itay Kruk.

According to Drop Site News, Palo Alto has acquired Cyvera, Twistlock and Puresec whose founders do not come from Unit 8200 but from other IDF ‘cyber, intelligence and commando units’[37] Palo Alto has a venture capital arm that invests in Israel‘s 8200 start-ups including Aim Security and Spera cybersecurity. With these acquisitions, Palo Alto founder Zuk has come closer to realizing his masterplan of consolidation of the entire cybersecurity network under one platform.

Palo Alto’s ascent in the cyber security industry is inseparable from the Palestine Laboratory and the genocide in Gaza. Palestinians are subject to constant surveillance and techno-experimentation as a means to sustain occupation and apartheid. Unit 8200’s ability to help Palo Alto set industry standards is vital to the Israeli state and sustaining its economy and capacity for war. There is a symbiotic relationship between the tech-sector and the genocide. Additionally, all of the vital information and security needs of Palo Alto’s clients outside of Israel pass through infrastructure controlled by spies, both current and former. Therefore, it is impossible to say at what point Palo Alto’s ties to or leveraging of its partnerships by Israel begins or ends.

Palo Alto is the largest and most crucial player in this military-to-tech pipeline and is illustrative of the dual focus of Israel’s military and tech companies. The pipeline works as follows: Former members of the military go on to form companies which are founded to deal with military and surveillance issues and the shortcomings of contemporary tech approaches. These companies then feed their tech solutions back into the military-surveillance pipeline. As explained by Defense Minister Baram: “Direct feedback loops connect the frontline, engineers, and industry partners — creating a robust chain from battlefield needs to deployed solutions. These are combat-proven systems. This is what defense tech means in Israel.”[38] More and more tech startups are formed with this dual-use ethos already in mind, developing tech applications that can be deployed for commercial and military use simultaneously.[39] Thus, the military-to-tech-to-military pipeline is fast becoming a parallel stream rather than a bidirectional relationship.

Conclusion/Recommendations

The reality that core digital infrastructure and cyber tools have been forged by the genocidal actions of the Israeli military should be a grave concern for any organization looking to uphold corporate responsibility and ethical principles. Furthermore, given the reality of the use of tech in the nominal cybersecurity sector to be employed in offensive military operations, this should be a further cause for concern to potential partners of Palo Alto in any capacity.

In a recent statement to Otago staff, Vice Chancellor Grant Robertson acknowledged the discomfort of some staff with the partnership and assured the Otago community that “The agreement with Palo Alto is limited to support for curriculum development for the Masters in Digital Technology, to provide guest speakers and technical expertise to support group projects and industry opportunities for students.” In addition, Robertson indicated that prior to entering into the partnership, the university had done due diligence in assessing any ethical or other concerns and their “work did identify the links with Israel” but “did not identify direct links between the company and the Israeli military.”

As this report has shown, the links between Palo Alto and the Israeli military have been present since its founding. These links have further grown with Palo Alto’s many acquisitions of other companies with ties to the IDF as Israel has transitioned from a cyber nation to a defence tech nation as a result of its wars and genocide underpinning more and more of its economy. The information regarding these ties is publicly available and therefore calls into question the university’s process of due diligence and conclusion of a lack of evidence supporting a relationship between Palo Alto and the IDF. This process of due diligence was further called into question recently in an article by The Critic which sought comment from Anthony Lowenstein on the partnership. Lowenstein offered the following comment:

This company has a long record of operating deep inside the Israeli army and intelligence at a time when Israel itself has been credibly accused of committing genocide in Gaza… I’ve spent more than a decade investigating the close relations between Israel, its defence sector and the global arms industry and I have grave concerns that the University is either wilfully blind or happily colluding with a corporation with a shady background in surveillance.[40]

[1] Levy, D. (2026) ‘Palo Alto Networks Eyes Mega Tel Aviv Campus After CyberArk Deal’, Calcalist. February 20: https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/rye00i9hd11x#google_vignette [retrieved 16/4/26].

[2] Ctech (2026) ‘From Cyvera to Koi: How Israel Became Palo Alto Networks’ Strategic Core’, Calcalist. February 19: https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hkoiuvxozg [retrieved 16/4/26].

[3] The Media Line (2025) ‘“The Battleship of Israel’s Economy”: Report Praises High-Tech Resilience’, Ynet Global. August 29: https://www.ynetnews.com/tech-and-digital/article/rkdf1atfex#google_vignette [retrieved 16/4/26].

[4] Sequioa Capital (2025) ‘Nir Zuk: Crucible Moments’, Linkedin. December 4: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sequoia_before-palo-alto-networks-became-a-cybersecurity-activity-7402398776625315840-H6TA/ [retrieved 16/4/26].

[5] Garg, R. (2023) ‘The Race to $100B: The Palo Alto Networks Story’, Bain Capital Ventures. March 16: https://baincapitalventures.com/insight/the-race-to-100b-the-palo-alto-networks-story/ [retrieved 16/4/26].

[6] Sequoia Capital.

[7] Zuk, N. (2024) ‘Despite the Pain, Israel’s Best Days Are Still Ahead of it’, Calcalist. May 14: https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bykhbex7a [retrieved 16/4/26].

[8] ibid

[9] Lieber, D. (2023) ‘Israel’s Tech Industry Rebels Against Netanyahu’s Judicial Overhaul’, The Wall Street Journal. February 23: https://archive.ph/JMwzZ [retrieved 17/4/26].

[10] Levatan, Dec 2025. ”Brought Together by War, Defense-Tech Partnerships Put Startups on Front Lines. Times of Israel: https://www.timesofisrael.com/brought-together-by-war-defense-tech-partnerships-put-startups-on-front-lines/ [retrieved 18/04/2026]

[11] The Media Line.

[12] ibid

[13] ibid

[14] Ctech (2025b) ‘ “I Can Retire…With Peace”: Nir Zuk says Palo Alto Networks Finally Achieved his 20-Year Vision with $25B CyberArk Acquisition’, Calcalist. July 12: https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hk1zxlqfzx [retrieved 17/4/26].

[15] ibid

[16] Shahaf, T. (2025) ‘Cyberquake: Why Palo Alto Networks is Eyeing Israel’s CyberArk’, Ynet Global. July 31: https://www.ynetnews.com/tech-and-digital/article/skflxbdwxl#google_vignette [retrieved 17/4/26].

[17] Business Wire (2026) ‘Accel Solutions Group Wins Israel’s Largest Network Security Tender in Partnership with Palo Alto, Estimated at up to NIS 500 Million’, Morningstar. March 12: https://www.morningstar.com/news/business-wire/20260311866246/accel-solutions-group-wins-israels-largest-network-security-tender-in-partnership-with-palo-alto-estimated-at-up-to-nis-500-million [retrieved 17/4/26].

[18] Wrobel, S. (2025) ‘Palo Alto CEO Says Firm Still Committed to Investing in Israel, Even After US-Israeli Founder Left’, The Times of Israel. December 15: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/palo-alto-ceo-says-firm-still-committed-to-investing-in-israel-even-after-us-israeli-founder-left/ [retrieved 17/4/26].

[19] Ctech (2025b) ‘From Unit8200 to Wiz’s $32B Exit: The Blueprint for Israeli Cyber Successes’, Calcalist. March 20: https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/sjltwsk2kg [retrieved 17/4/26].

[20] Lowenstein, A. (2023) The Palestine Laboratory. Scribe: Melbourne. (84).

[21] Bergman, R. (2019) Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations. John Murray: London. (529-537).

[22] Saul, J. Scheer, S. & Rabinovitch, A. (2024) ‘Hezbollah Pager Attack Puts Spotlight on Israel’s Cyber Warfare Unit 8200’, Reuters. September 20: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hezbollah-pager-attack-puts-spotlight-israels-cyber-warfare-unit-8200-2024-09-18/ [retrieved 17/4/26].

[23] OHCHR (2024) ‘Exploding Pagers and Radios: A Terrifying Violation of International Law, say UN Experts’, UN Office of the High Commissioner. September 19: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/09/exploding-pagers-and-radios-terrifying-violation-international-law-say-un [retrieved 17/4/26].

[24] Abraham, Y. (2023) ‘ “A Mass Assassination Factory”: Inside Israel’s Calculated Bombing of Gaza’, +972 Magazine. November 30: https://www.972mag.com/mass-assassination-factory-israel-calculated-bombing-gaza/ [retrieved 17/4/26].

[25] Abraham, Y. (2024) ‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza.”, +972 Magazine. April 3: https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/ https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/ [retrieved 17/4/26].

[26] Ibid.

[27] Abraham, Y. (2025b) ‘Microsoft Revokes Cloud Services From Israel’s Unit 8200, Following +972 Exposé’, +972 Magazine. September 25: https://www.972mag.com/microsoft-cloud-israel-8200-expose/ [retrieved 17/4/26].

[28] Al Jazeera(2026) ‘Israel’s Genocide Wiped out Over 2700 Families in Gaza’, January 26: https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/1/26/israels-genocide-wiped-out-over-2700-families-in-gaza [retrieved 17/4/26].

[29] Abraham, Y. (2025b) ‘Microsoft Revokes Cloud Services From Israel’s Unit 8200, Following +972 Exposé’, +972 Magazine. September 25: https://www.972mag.com/microsoft-cloud-israel-8200-expose/ [retrieved 17/4/26].

[30] Abraham, Y. (2025b) ‘Microsoft Storing Israeli Intelligence Trove Used to Attack Palestinians’, +972 Magazine. August 6: https://www.972mag.com/microsoft-8200-intelligence-surveillance-cloud-azure/ [retrieved 17/4/26].

[31] HRF (2025) ‘Israeli Air Force Officer in the Netherlands: HRF Files Legal COmplanit Against Lavi Lazarovitz for Role in Gaza Genocide’, The Hind Rijab Foundation. June 10: https://www.hindrajabfoundation.org/posts/israeli-air-force-officer-lavi-lazarovitz-in-the-netherlands-hrf-files-legal-complaint-for-role-in-gaza-genocide [retrieved 17/4/26].

[32] Lazorvitz, L. (2026) About, Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/lavi-lazarovitz-01a97429/ [retrieved 17/4/26].

[33] Azran, I. (2026) About, Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/idoazran/ [retrieved 17/4/26].

[34] Benjamin, D. (2026) About, Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-benjamin-b9342311/ [retrieved 17/4/26].

[35] Bobrov, O. (2026) About, Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ohadbob/ [retrieved 17/4/26].

[36] Ben-Noon, O. (2026) About, Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/oferbennoon/ [retrieved 17/4/26].

[37] Hussain, M. (2025) ‘Hundreds of Former Spires are Working in Big Tech, Database Shows’, Drop Site. August 14: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israel-technology-palo-alto-networks-microsoft-unit-8200 [retrieved 17/4/26].

[38] Levatan, Dec 2025. ”Brought Together by War, Defense-Tech Partnerships Put Startups on Front Lines. Times of Israel: https://www.timesofisrael.com/brought-together-by-war-defense-tech-partnerships-put-startups-on-front-lines/ [retrieved 18/04/2026]

[39] Ibid

[40]Weston and Varrs, 2026. ”University defends partnership with Palo Alto networks. Critic: Te Arohi, April 11: https://www.critic.co.nz/news/article/12053/university-defends-partnership-with-palo-alto-netw, [retrived 17/04/2026].