Countless Western “giants” boycotted by Arab world over Gaza conflict

Some of America's most iconic brands including McDonald's, Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Domino's Pizza have become targets of boycott campaigns in the Middle East, along with Germany's Puma and French supermarket chain Carrefour, as the death toll in the Gaza Strip continues to rise.

According to local media, major American brands in Arab cities such as Cairo (Egypt), Amman (Jordan), Beirut (Lebanon), Kuwait and Doha (Qatar) have been targeted for allegedly supporting Israel in the latest wave of conflicts with the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.

The situation is reversed.

McDonald's restaurants in the region have been boycotted after the Israeli branch of the famous burger chain donated thousands of meals to soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stationed on the front lines near the Gaza Strip. While McDonald's iconic golden arches can be seen around the world , its international restaurants are sometimes franchised to local companies.

Since last week, Turkish politicians have stopped quenching their thirst with Coca-Cola or snacking on Swiss-made Nestlé, as Western brands have been removed from the Eurasian transcontinental nation's parliament buildings over their alleged support for Israel.

“Products of companies supporting Israel will not be sold in restaurants, cafes and tea shops on the parliament grounds,” the Turkish parliament said in a statement.

World - Countless Western — McDonald's is among several Western companies facing consumer boycotts over the conflict in Gaza. Photo: Khaleej Times

The National News, a newspaper based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), reported that Pepsi and Coca-Cola inventories held by local distributors have increased in recent weeks due to slowing sales at various stores and restaurants.

Local news outlets reported that McDonald's, Starbucks and Domino's Pizza restaurants have recently become quiet and empty even during their typically busiest times.

The boycott of Western brands has meant prosperity for some local brands. For example, Egyptian soda maker Spiro Spathis has been a big winner. The decline in sales of Western brands is creating an opportunity for Spiro Spathis to “do good”.

Spiro Spathis was founded in 1920 by one of the thousands of Greeks who called Egypt home. The beverage company was eventually defeated on its home turf by the incursions of Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

But not long after the latest wave of Israel-Hamas hostilities erupted, the tide turned. Demand for Spiro Spathis spiked by 300 percent, forcing the soft drink company to advertise for up to 2,000 additional workers at once.

Hard times

Since the conflict erupted on October 7, many Arab countries have accused the United States of favoring Israel over the Palestinians. With limited means to influence U.S. policy, Arab consumers are instead “voting” with their feet, choosing to reject American brands.

“The Arab boycott of American franchises over the Palestinian-Israeli conflict highlights the deep emotions and mass political mobilization this issue has caused in the region,” Ehsan Amin, a 35-year-old Saudi, told Arab News, the leading English-language newspaper in the Middle East based in Saudi Arabia.

“Everyone has their own way of expressing solidarity. Some people protest in the streets, others boycott. I choose to boycott. This is my way of speaking out against the West’s bias against Israel,” Amin said.

“The recent events in Gaza are expected to deepen the region’s solidarity with the Palestinian people and heighten sensitivity to corporate messaging,” Amjad Ahmad, head of the empowerME Initiative at the Atlantic Council, told Arab News.

For global brands, these are difficult times and they must move forward to ensure they do not alienate their diverse consumers.

“Unfortunately, this can be a challenge for franchisors with multiple local owners. However, it does not mean that they are exempt from the responsibility to do so, and most franchise agreements contractually allow them a certain level of control, especially when it comes to communications.”

Israel launched an air, sea and ground offensive into the Gaza Strip after Hamas militants crossed its border on October 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking more than 240 hostage.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, so far, after more than a month of conflict, Israeli attacks have killed more than 11,000 people in Gaza.

The US has pushed for ceasefires to allow for wider distribution of vital aid to civilians still trapped in the fire in Gaza, enduring increasingly deteriorating living conditions.

But Israel has only agreed to daily hourly ceasefires to allow civilians to flee the ground fighting in northern Gaza and walk south to the coastal strip along two main routes.

Israel continues to strike what it says are militant targets across southern Gaza, killing and wounding scores of women and children.

The war has forced more than two-thirds of Gaza's 2.3 million people to flee their homes and move around the narrow strip of land on the Mediterranean coast .

Minh Duc (According to 9News, The Telegraph, Arab News)

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