Israel McDonald's "Free Meals for Soldiers"... Arab World in Uproar

Criticism Pours In from Islamic Countries Including Saudi Arabia and Oman
Arab McDonald's Draws a Line: "We Are Not Involved"

The world's largest fast-food chain, McDonald's, has become the target of a boycott in the Arab world. This follows news that McDonald's Israel branch is providing free meals to its own soldiers.

According to a report by The Washington Post (WP) on the 21st (local time), McDonald's Israel branch announced earlier this month via social media (SNS) that it would "provide free food to the Israeli military fighting against the Palestinian armed group Hamas."

Since then, criticism from consumers in Middle Eastern Arab and Islamic countries has surged, and McDonald's Israel branch eventually made its official Instagram account private. The anger is growing especially as the deployment of Israeli ground forces in the Gaza Strip approaches and the number of casualties there continues to rise.

Ahmad Nagi, a famous Egyptian online creator, strongly criticized through a video, saying, "This restaurant (McDonald's) must disappear from today," and added, "This is the least we can do." The video has recorded over 1.3 million views.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

McDonald's franchises in other Middle Eastern countries appear to be severing ties with Israel. Although McDonald's has over 40,000 chains worldwide, many are owned and operated autonomously by local corporations in each country.

McDonald's operators in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, and T?rkiye have cut relations with the Israeli operator, and most of them have issued statements pledging support for Gaza Strip aid.

Saudi Arabia McDonald's stated in a press release, "We inform that the decision by McDonald's Israel to provide meals to soldiers was their own decision," emphasizing, "Neither McDonald's headquarters nor any other country is directly or indirectly related to this decision." Franchisees in Egypt, Lebanon, and others have issued similar statements.

[Image source=Pixabay]

McDonald's Oman operator recently announced on its official X (formerly Twitter) account that it would "donate $100,000 (approximately 135 million KRW) to humanitarian relief efforts in the Palestinian Gaza Strip." It added, "We pray to the Almighty to protect all Arab and Islamic countries from evil and hatred."

McDonald's, representing American culture, is especially perceived as a "symbol of the United States" in the Arab world. This is why anti-war protests attacking McDonald's stores occurred worldwide during the U.S.-led Iraq War in 2003 and the "Arab Spring" protests in Egypt and other countries in 2011. Earlier, U.S. President Joe Biden had repeatedly expressed support for Israel in the current Israel-Palestine war.

However, WP reported that "some in the Arab world are calling for a halt to the boycott, citing McDonald's important role in job creation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.