An interesting story out of Canada by journalist Tim Groves published in The Breach:
Eleven days after Hamas attacked Israel in October, former prime minister Stephen Harper’s current business partner Yaron Ashkenazi wrote an op-ed about how their company would help the country “stop these evil terrorists in their tracks.”
Their venture capital fund, Awz Ventures, was well-positioned. For years, the company has poured investments—totalling at least $350 million—into high-tech companies that support the Israeli security industry.
Harper is a leading partner at the firm and president of its advisory committee. The former prime minister, who was a hard-line supporter of Israel while in office, has promoted the company in Israeli media outlets and has said that Awz Ventures is a chance to “continue what I did in government.”
In 2021, Awz launched a start-up accelerator in Tel Aviv that partners with the Israeli Ministry of Defense’s research and development wing and other Israeli agencies, including intelligence agency Mossad, security agency Shin Bet, and the Israel Defense Force’s (IDF) elite cyber intelligence unit.
That partnership has never before been reported in the Canadian media. The Breach can also reveal new details about three companies funded by Awz that are helping Israel’s post-Oct. 7 actions, as well as six more that have done business with Israeli governments in recent years.
Groves interviewed me about ways in which Israeli and foreign companies aim to monetise surveillance capitalism.
Read the whole piece: Stephen Harper’s firm pours $350M into developing military tech for Israel ⋆ The Breach