WHEN United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, while speaking at an award ceremony in Tel Aviv, told Lebanon that it would not have a mobile phone without Israel, it was nothing more than a desperate attempt to create an illusion of grandeur. Let us remember the facts. Apple itself was the brainchild of Steve Jobs, a man whose father was Syrian. And no smartphone or computer would even function without the foundational work of Arab scientist Al-Khwarizmi. The base-10 numeral system, the concept of zero, and the algorithms that made binary code possible were developed by Arab scholars.

Even today, it is Johny Srouji, an Arab, who is responsible for the C1X cellular modem and the N1 wireless chip that will be used in the new iPhones. It is shameful that Srouji is ambivalent towards the plight of nuns and priests being spat on and abused, churches being attacked, and countless Palestinians being killed. The iPhone 17e is not something Srouji should be proud of. It is something over which he should hang his head in shame.

The components Srouji developed control everything — the internet, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and battery life. Apple could have easily built the iPhone 17e entirely in the US, but chose to maintain an office in occupied Palestine, allowing the apartheid regime to attach another lie to its supposed ‘greatness’ by using spying technology.

The genocidal regime has already killed thousands by exploding pagers. What, then, is to stop them from attaching a switch that explodes when the apartheid regime is not pleased with messages telling the truth to the world about the massacres of Muslims and Christians in Palestine? We should not show support for genocide, and boycott all technology that can possibly be used against the innocent Palestinians.

Angabeen Ahmad
Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2026