An Amazon executive appeared in a company video wearing a pendant in the shape of a map of Israel adorned with the Palestinian flag, leading some to call for a boycott of the tech giant.
Ruba Borno, vice president of Global Specialists and Partner Organizations at Amazon Web Services, was seen wearing the necklace in a video promoting a company conference in Las Vegas.
Borno, a Palestinian by birth, fled Kuwait with his parents during the first Gulf War in 1990. The family came to the United States, where Borno received advanced degrees in electrical engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of Michigan.
Amazon has since removed the video, with a company spokesperson telling DailyMail.com: “The recorded video was not intended to be a political statement, but we have removed it and will repost a new one in the coming days.”
Ruba Borno, vice president of Global Specialists and Partner Organizations at Amazon Web Services, is seen wearing the necklace in a company video.
A similar necklace is for sale on eBay.
Amazon added that its leadership “remains in regular contact with our region-based teams to offer our support.”
Since this controversy broke out, Borno appears to have deleted his X account.
He has worked at Amazon Web Services since November 2021, with previous stints at Experian, Cisco, and Boston Consulting Group.
People on social media shared different opinions about the display.
‘Vile. This is unacceptable and warrants immediate termination @JeffBezos,’ a user responded to the X Hamas Atrocities account, which reposted the video before it was deleted.
“Cancelling my Prime Video subscription,” wrote another.
“What a disgusting woman,” added a third.
One commenter said they would start buying products from Temu, another e-commerce marketplace, instead of Amazon.
Many tagged Amazon’s company account or Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who stepped down as CEO in 2021 but remains CEO and largest shareholder.
Jewish Insideran outlet that covers politics and policy in the US and the Middle East, was the first to name Borno with the necklace.
Sasha Troufanov, an employee at Amazon subsidiary Annapurna Labs, was kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 attacks.
Troufanov, hostage for more than a year, pictured with his girlfriend
The video, while sparking outrage from many commentators, also attracted some who thought Borno’s necklace was no big deal.
“To tell you the truth, this doesn’t seem like it’s worth getting upset about,” one person wrote.
“This is a great reach,” said another.
Jewish Insider noted that an employee working at Amazon subsidiary Annapurna Labs was kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 attacks.
That employee of the Tel Aviv-based company, Sasha Troufanov, 28, has not been released after more than a year in captivity.
Hamas took many Israelis hostage after killing about 1,200 people in the attacks.