I was a McDonald’s megafan. For Gaza, I'm ditching them for good

There was a time when the sight of a red and yellow French fries container sparked an immediate craving in the pit of my stomach for some salty, deep-fried potato strips.

Now, it incites a different feeling within my abdomen – one of disgust and despair, mixed with a twinge of nausea.

No, I’m not pregnant. Just human. The viral images of Israeli army soldiers brazenly flaunting their Mickey-D burgers and fries while setting out in tanks to bomb and massacre Gazan civilians have irreconcilably ruined the fast food chain’s image for me and for many others.

Following the October 2023 Hamas attacks and the ensuing Israeli genocide of Gaza, McDonald’s donated thousands of free meals to Israeli army soldiers, in addition to offering them 50% discounts throughout the nation’s chains, while the population of Gaza was cut off and starved.

In Malaysia meanwhile, the McDonald’s franchisee filed a lawsuit against a solidarity group for Palestinians, in an attempt to silence and intimidate them. The BDS National Committee (BNC) consequently called for an “escalating global Boycott” of McDonald’s.

McDonald’s Corporation, an American multinational, quickly emphasised that its franchises acted independently and that the corporation does not fund or support any governments involved in the conflict.

While that may be true, the business did consciously set up shop on illegally occupied land.

At a time when Gazans are being massacred by the thousands and country leaders remain despicably complicit in allowing Israel to continue this genocide, boycotting brands – that shouldn’t be operating on illegally stolen land to begin with – is one of the few things we have the agency to do.

From my home in the UAE — where protests are illegal — I’ve watched in awe and admiration as university students across the Western world set up encampments and demanded their institutions divest from companies connected to Israel, successful at places such as Sacramento State University, Belgium’s University of Ghent, and Ireland’s Trinity College.

Having admittedly lived most of my life in a privileged bubble without much thought to where my money is going, this has been my first experience investigating my own consumption and boycotting a business – and it’s one that I frequented almost weekly, prior to October 2023.  

Should we all boycott McDonald’s?

McDonald’s was an iconic element of my life. I’ll never forget the time I came home on my 18th birthday to find that my best friend had laid out 18 beef burgers on my bed. And, when I was studying in Toronto and endeavouring to eat only halal food, my mother once brought me a Big Mac from Dubai in her hand luggage, which I happily devoured upon her arrival.

My enthusiasm for McDonald’s, which manifested in almost weekly late-night orders, was inevitably passed down to my two young children, for whom Happy Meals quickly became a weekly indulgence.

But in the wake of October 2023, I felt it was my responsibility as a parent that led me to eliminate McDonald’s from my diet – and my children’s.

The same can’t be said for extended members of my family, some who aren’t on social media and thus haven’t been so deeply affected by the images of dead bodies, blown-off limbs and footage of patients being burned alive while connected to IVs. Some of them don’t see the point in boycotting, especially since it can hurt local franchise owners and their already-low-paid employees.

Still, while McDonald's Corporation may not be directly funding Israel, it has made corporate donations to politicians representing the Democratic party, which, under President Biden, has relentlessly funded the genocide of Palestinians over the past year.

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The BDS movement urges Palestine supporters to boycott not only Israeli brands and goods but also, international businesses that are complicit in Israel’s apartheid.

These range from beauty brands to technology giants, but boycotting those that provide comfort food and beverages often requires the most restraint – like Pizza Hut, another American multinational, which also reportedly saw its Israeli franchise donate free meals to the Israeli army last year, and in 2017, ran an advertisement appearing to mock Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike.

Starbucks – while not officially on the BDS list – has been widely boycotted since it sued its labour union of workers over pro-Palestine comments on social media, and because major shareholder Howard Schultz, is staunchly pro-Israel.

Then there’s Coca-Cola, which has a factory on the land of the illegal Israeli settlement Atarot, in occupied Palestine. Beyond allowing them to profit from their presence on illegally occupied land, ingesting any of these F&B brands feels thoroughly unethical – almost sacrilegious; akin to eating pork, as a Muslim.

I pass the golden arches almost daily while driving, and feel no regrets or cravings. Our bodies, along with our collective conscience, have had much to gain (figuratively of course) from our boycott. Research has found that sodium and sugar-heavy McDonald’s meals can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes and heart attacks, and I’m grateful to have stopped passing down my unhealthy eating habits to my young children.

My home today is proudly McDonald’s-free – with just one exception: a framed print of a McDonald’s sign in Beirut, featuring its name in Arabic against a dreamy pink and yellow background, photographed by Matt Crump. It was my first-ever art investment – but whenever I see those golden arches now, images of sinister tanks and machine guns come to mind, toted around by its unwitting new brand ambassadors – the Israeli army.

The reputational damage can’t be undone.

As stated by the BDS website, “associating the McDonald’s brand with the Israeli army and its crimes against the Palestinian people cannot go without consequences for the company!”

And consequences, they are paying.  In January, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski stated that the boycott had caused a “meaningful business impact.” And in April, six months after the October 7 attacks, McDonald’s Israel franchise owner Omri Padan announced that he had agreed to sell the Israeli outposts back to McDonald’s Corporation, who disappointingly stated they would remain “committed to the Israeli market.”

For me, the damage control has come too little, too late. The irreversible circulation of images showing its food, logo and distinctive packaging in the wrong hands, means that the mere utterance of “McDonald’s” will always leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Hafsa Lodi is an American-Muslim journalist who has been covering fashion and culture in the Middle East for more than a decade. Her work has appeared in The Independent, Refinery29, Business Insider, Teen Vogue, Vogue Arabia, The National, Luxury, Mojeh, Grazia Middle East, GQ Middle East, gal-dem and more. Hafsa’s debut non-fiction book Modesty: A Fashion Paradox, was launched at the 2020 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

Follow her on Twitter: @HafsaLodi

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Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The New Arab, its editorial board or staff.