McDonald's Owners Fight Over Support for Israel

What was intended as an offer of goodwill, the donation of McDonald's meals to hospitals and military units in Israel, has sparked a battle between some of the owners of the fast-food giant's franchises across the Middle East and Asia.

Earlier this month, McDonald's Israel announced they were giving away free food to Israeli soldiers after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7.

In the subsequent fighting in the region, 8,805 Palestinians have died as of Thursday, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, the Associated Press (AP) reported, while 1,400 more than people in Israel have been killed, most of them civilians on October 7. A further 130 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids in the West Bank, the AP said.

McDonald's Israel wrote in a translated post to Instagram on October 13: "Update that already yesterday we donated 4000 meals to hospitals and military units, 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. We opened 5 restaurants that were open only for this purpose."

The announcement received criticism on social media, with some users calling for a boycott of the fast-food chain.

Newsweek reached out to McDonald's global corporate press office in the U.S. via email for comment.

Now a number of other McDonald's franchises in primarily Muslim countries in the Middle East and Asia have issued statements that oppose the stance taken by McDonald's Israel.

McDonald's franchise model allows each location to be owned and operated independently from the brand. Michael Seid, a managing director at the franchise consulting firm MSA Worldwide, told Newsweek that each McDonald's is "an independently owned and operated business and the franchisee has the flexibility to do a lot of things," noting that "McDonald's has no control over that."

"We as the Maousherji Catering Company, as the local representatives of McDonald's Kuwait, announce that we stand with our brothers and sisters in Palestine, especially in Gaza, and we reject any claims questioning our Arab or our Kuwait identity," McDonald's Kuwait wrote in a post to Instagram.

"We also would like to reiterate that McDonald's on a global level does not interfere in any way, shape or form in matters of politics, religion or heritage...What the McDonald's operator did in Israel was an example of such individual action; it was not a global decision, nor was it approved by any of the other local operators, especially those in our region."

McDonald's Pakistan issued a similar statement, saying that they are not affiliated with McDonald's Israel operations. In a subsequent post on social media, McDonald's Pakistan expressed support for those "affected by this tragic humanitarian crisis in Gaza."

In a statement to Reuters, McDonald's Saudi Arabia said: "In regard to the news that McDonald's in Israel was donating meals. We affirm that it was an individual decision on their part...Neither global McDonald's nor us nor any other country had a role or relationship with that decision, neither directly nor indirectly."

McDonald's Oman issued a statement on X, formerly Twitter, saying that they are donating $100,000 to relief efforts in Gaza.

"What the licensee in Israel did was an individual and private act, and not with the approval or direction of the international company or any other licensee, especially in the Arab world," McDonald's Oman added in its statement.

Newsweek reached out to McDonald's Kuwait, McDonald's Saudi Arabia and McDonald's Oman via their websites for comment. We were unable to contact McDonald's Pakistan and McDonald's Israel.

Seid told Newsweek on Wednesday the different ways franchises act and how others react to decisions "isn't anything new."

According to Seid, this current situation is similar to how McDonald's and other franchises operated in New York City following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, where they provided food to first responders.

"There's been franchisees reacting to all types of social issues," Seid said. "Franchisees are independent business owners.

"It's not that McDonald's doesn't control the food or the service or the quality of the service," Seid said. "Just like any other independent business person will react to certain things, franchisees will do that...the franchise is an independently owned and operated business."

Seid also said he doesn't expect the differing stances by McDonald's locations across the Middle East having a long-term impact on the chain.

In addition to the statements released by McDonald's locations in the Middle East, the Times of Israel also reported this week that a pro-Palestine protester threw dozens of mice into a McDonald's location in England.