#BoycottMcDonalds: BDS, Israel, and the battle for the Golden Arches

Following the events of October 7, many companies were quick to stand in solidarity with Israel.

In a series of Instagram posts in Hebrew (which have since been set to private), McDonald’s Israel said: “We intend to donate thousands of meals every day to soldiers in the field and in drafting areas, and this is beyond a discount to soldiers coming to restaurants.”

It said that it had even opened five new restaurants just to fulfil its pledge.

"As the attacks on Gaza continue and so does the online conversation, it will be important to see how these generational shifts and conversations on different platforms influence the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement"

Corporations in Israel have had a record of using the conflict for their PR. In 2017, the food company Pizza Hut’s Israeli branch shared a picture on social media mocking the leader of a mass hunger strike in Israeli prisons.

Israel’s Pizza Hut used the picture as an advertisement, writing on top of the photo: “[Marwan] Barghouti, if you’re going to break a strike, why not pizza?”

A Pizza Hut pizza box was also Photoshopped into the photo, poking out beneath the prison bunk bed. 

Marwan Barghouti was leading more than 1,500 prisoners in an open-ended hunger strike against the practice of medical negligence, solitary confinement, arbitrary attention, the denial of family and lawyer visits, and detentions without charge or trial.

The advertisement sparked widespread criticism, with Palestinians and Palestine supporters taking to social media to call for a global boycott of Pizza Hut and legal action. 

“Pizza Hut is ridiculing the prisoners’ strike,” activist Alaa Abu Diab wrote on Facebook, using the hashtag #boycott_pizzahut.

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement also called for a worldwide boycott of the chain for its “mocking of the prisoner leader and its involvement in the Israeli occupation”.

In a public apology posted to its international Facebook page, Pizza Hut apologised for the “completely inappropriate” advertisement and said that it “does not reflect the values of our brand”.

A post on Pizza Hut Israel's page said: “It was intended to be a humorous post that markets Pizza Hut Israel’s delivery services and was removed after a request from the management of the international chain."

#BoycottMcDonalds

The backlash to this latest announcement was immediate. On X (formally known as Twitter), many users called for a boycott with one writing, "McDonald's providing free meals to the IDF, (the military forces of Israel). We should stand by our principles and take actions that align with our beliefs. Let us boycott McDonald's bcz [sic] Supporting companies that are involved in conflicts is wrong, especially when it comes to the loss of innocent lives."

The poster continued: "Let's raise awareness and encourage accountability from these brands. Remember, every individual's voice and actions can make a difference in shaping a more just world."

Many Arabs and Muslims on social media denounced the posts, #BoycottMcDonalds was trending, and influencers began releasing videos calling customers to boycott McDonald's as a gesture of support to Palestine amid Israel’s continuous bombardment against the enclave.

On Friday local media reported that pro-Palestinian groups attacked a McDonald's restaurant in Lebanon. There were reportedly no injuries — and McDonald’s Lebanon issued a statement afterwards affirming that the position of McDonald’s franchises in other countries “does not represent the views or positions of McDonald’s Lebanon in any way”.

Supporters reported that hours after the call for boycott, the original posts were either deleted or inaccessible and many McDonald’s branches across the MENA region were quick to release statements explaining their separation from McDonald’s Israel.

In a statement, McDonald's Egypt stressed that it is 100% an Egyptian company and that the umbrella company only allows it to use the brand name in the local market.

"The role of the parent McDonald's company is to allow us to use the brand name and provide us with the experience and knowledge to provide the best service to our customers," read the statement.

Similarly, McDonald's Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait UAE, Bahrain, Jordan and Oman released statements announcing that they are donating a collective sum of around $4 million as a humanitarian aid package for the war-affected population in Gaza, with a focus on women, children, and the elderly. 

An X user named Ahmed Hesham said many people misunderstand the McDonald's issue, stressing that McDonald's Egypt is separate from McDonald's of America and Israel, citing potential layoffs that could affect thousands of domestic employees working at McDonald's restaurants.

Other users also voiced similar concerns that a boycott would impact domestic workers the most.

On October 12th it was reported that McDonalds' shares had fallen by 1.89%. Many on social media were quick to hail this as a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions victory.

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement has not yet called for a formal boycott of the McDonalds franchise but this has not stopped many social media users from taking their own stance against the Golden Arches.

According to an Eekad investigation, whilst these franchises may be independent companies the McDonald's branches are asked to pay fees to the original parent company as part of their contract. They must also pay a percentage of their annual profits to the parent company.

Much of this conversation around the boycotting of corporations has taken place online.

In the podcast Americast, Marianne Spring said, “There is a different tone band conversation taking place on different social media platforms.”

Whilst X is awash with misinformation, Instagram a platform largely populated by high-profile celebrities.

There was a notable outpouring of support for Israel with people sharing their support for Israel on their stories whilst TikTok, a platform inhabited by a predominantly younger generation has seen a surge in creators who are actively making videos where they detail every single celebrity and company that has shared in support of Israel and how you should not follow their accounts or boycott their products.

As the attacks on Gaza continue and so does the online conversation, it will be important to see how these generational shifts and conversations on different platforms influence the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

This war has become the deadliest of five Gaza wars, amid fierce and indiscriminate strikes which have killed more than 3,450 people and wounded 12,000 in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Aisha Kherallah is a freelance journalist and researcher focused on media freedom and cultural outputs in the MENA region. She holds an MSc in Conflict Studies from the London School of Economics and also works for the Rory Peck Trust