WIX - The Israeli Engine Behind Some of Your Favorite Websites

There are no safeguards with a company that stands in service of the Israeli state. This is the core problem with Wix, a popular website builder and hosting provider that is far from a neutral digital platform.

Founded by former Israeli military intelligence officers, Wix has demonstrated a clear institutional bias—from urging employees to promote pro-Israeli talking points to punishing those who criticize Israel’s actions. This reflects an internal culture and corporate policy fundamentally aligned with the objectives of the Israeli government.

In Israel, the line between the military, the state, and the tech industry is blurred. Wix is no exception. The company collects data not just from its 280 million registered users who build sites, but from individual visitors to those sites. There is no guarantee that Wix—or any other Israeli company—isn't actively aiding Israeli state surveillance goals.

From the Top Down

Wix founders Avishai Abrahami and Giora Kaplan both served in cyber intelligence divisions of the Israeli military. Avishai, who is also CEO, served in the controversial Unit 8200 and has publicly described his participation in hacking operations during his tenure there. The secretive unit has been the subject of longstanding accusations from human rights groups and whistleblowers for executing illegal cyber operations, including the mass surveillance and targeting of Palestinians. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, recruits in the unit are taught advanced cybersecurity and surveillance tactics, which include techniques to infiltrate devices, gather intelligence, and disrupt communications. Recently, Microsoft cut off the unit from some of its cloud computing services after an expose found that they were collecting phone calls on the entire Palestinian population and storing personal information to “facilitate the preparation of deadly airstrikes” in Gaza. With little to no independent oversight, Unit 8200 is free to wage offensive cyber operations against anyone Israel deems a threat to their national interest, often with the continued occupation of Palestine and destruction of its people at the top of their list. 

Earlier this year Avishai attended an event by Voice of the People, a pro-Zionist initiative started by the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, in collaboration with the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency for Israel. Avishai also reposted a clip on X where NYU professor Scott Galloway defended Israel’s actions in Gaza stating that the U.S. was never accused of genocide during WWII in Japan or its wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, even saying that Israel are “prosecuting a war more humanely than we have done.”

Avishai’s brother and other Wix co-founder, Nadav Abrahami, has also reshared posts that supported false allegations of Hamas’ use of hospitals, as well as posts that called for the resignation of the UN Secretary General for condemning attacks on Gaza hospitals and calling for a ceasefire.

Institutional Support 

The positions of the founders are not isolated to them individually, as past controversies show a pattern demonstrating organizational backing for Israel's policies. The extent of this internal campaign was revealed when The Irish Times obtained leaked company communications that showed the creation of a dedicated Slack channel named 'Supporting Israel Narrative,' where Wix employees were encouraged to create pro-Israel PR and content. The leaks also revealed a push to “show Westernity" in outreach messaging stating that “unlike the Gazans, we look and live like Europeans and Americans.” This aligns with the Islamophobic and anti-Arab rhetoric normalized throughout Israel, from street-level chants of “death to Arabs” to the highest levels of government openly asserting the supremacy of Jewish rights.

Immediately following October 7th, Wix committed significant resources to establishing a central hub for Israeli tech companies to mobilize, assisting in the launch of over 180 websites supporting various causes. In partnership with the Arava Tech Centre, which operated from Wix's Tel Aviv campus, the initiative aimed to “connect the Israeli tech community and the evolving needs of the public during the war.” This enabled employees, some of whom are IDF reservists, to leverage the Wix platform for national service.

This strong pro-Israel stance that was encouraged internally left little room for dissent for employees of a different opinion. This was made clear when Courtney Carey, a former Wix employee, was fired for social media posts that called Israel a “terrorist state” and being critical of the “indiscriminate” bombing in Gaza. When Avishai was asked about this situation, he stated that “when you call a terrorist to somebody who’s a colleague of yours while his family has been kidnapped or assassinated, we look at you as a bit of an asshole.” Avishai incorrectly reframed Courtney’s political opinion on Israel’s state policy by implying that she was personally accusing her Israeli coworkers of being terrorists. Courtney won her unfair dismissal case and was awarded compensation. 

It’s evident that Wix built a one-sided workplace culture that actively champions the Israeli state narrative. One where humanitarian sympathy and solidarity does not apply if it includes support of Palestinians. 

No Room For Trust

Wix’s privacy policy states that the user and visitor data it collects is stored in Israel. This is the same country whose police have been caught using military-grade spyware to surveil their own citizens without warrants. If even Israelis aren’t safe from espionage, then everyone is vulnerable. Governments can justify monitoring and breaches of data for “national security” reasons, especially in times of conflict. This creates a major risk for anyone using an Israeli company like Wix, which controls massive amounts of data and personal information. This leaves us with critical, unanswered questions: who has access to that data, what is being done with it, and in what capacity?

An even more dangerous reality lies in the fact that countless Arabic sites, mosques, and Pro-Palestinian organizations hosted on Wix are likely unaware they are funding and entrusting their data to a company whose institutional stance is directly aligned against them.

Putting trust into companies founded by former Unit 8200 members leaves users vulnerable to surveillance and exploitation. As reported, “their focus on Israel’s national security allows them to understand cyber-offense and cyber-defense once they leave the service.” Alumni have gone on to found numerous mulit-billion dollar cybersecurity and technology companies, with at least 5 companies publicly trading in the United States. This includes Israeli firms like NSO Group, whose Pegasus spyware is sold to government agencies and has been documented targeting journalists, human rights activists, and diplomats.

The data and privacy of Wix’s users ultimately lies at the mercy of its corporate priorities that mirror state interests. Many paying customers are completely unaware of the close Israeli relationship behind the platform they trust. Filling that information gap is the first step towards moving off of Wix. 

Check any site for Israeli tech

There's a quick and easy tool to detect if a website is built on Wix. It's called Built With Apartheid. Simply enter any URL to begin a scan and uncover the underlying Israeli technologies. Critically, this tool also detects if a site is built with Elementor, a leading Israeli company whose WordPress plugin is used on about 18 million websites. Elementor also collects data from users and stores it in Israel similar to Wix.

Built With Apartheid functions not only as a detector but as a community organizing platform. Every scanned website generates a public discussion thread, documenting how many times it has been scanned by users. These threads serve as a hub for users to anonymously collaborate by sharing information on efforts to convince the site owners to move off Israeli tech.

Make the Switch 

It can be unsettling, to say the least, to discover that your website – or that of your local coffee shop or place of worship is – is benefitting Israeli companies actively supporting the genocide in Gaza. But awareness is the first step to gaining back control. 

While migrating a site off Wix may seem like a technically complex and time-consuming task, you are not without options. Boon Digital Solutions was created specifically to tackle this challenge. Boon specializes in seamlessly transitioning businesses from Wix to WordPress, enabling true site ownership, enhanced flexibility, and deeper customization. With package offerings for any need, Boon makes ethical website development and hosting an achievable reality. 

Build With Us

Using Israeli services means giving Israeli authorities access to your data. Tech for Palestine is working to change that. We are looking for more projects that help users and organizations move away from Israeli platforms and build a more ethical tech future.

Have skills to share or a project in mind? Get involved. Want to support this important work? Donate.