Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Israel’s attack on the Palestinian Gaza region brought a new domino effect to Western companies in the Middle East. Support for Israel has received a strong reaction from the Arab world which defends Palestine.
In the report Reuters, boycotts are widespread in many countries, such as Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco. Some of the companies targeted are thought to take a pro-Israel stance while others are suspected of having financial ties to Tel Aviv or making investments there.
Initially calls for a boycott circulated on social media. But now it has expanded to include dozens of companies and products.
It was reported that this had a significant impact and brought about changes in some residents. Many buyers are turning to local alternative products.
“I feel that even though I know this will not have a big impact on the war, this is the least we can do as citizens of a different country so that we don’t feel like our hands are stained with blood,” said Reham Hamed, a resident of Cairo, Egypt, who is boycotting fast food chains. serving United States (US) and several cleaning products, quoted Thursday (23/11/2023).
In Jordan, boycott efforts were also carried out by influencing residents who wanted to buy from tenants. Anti-Israel groups sometimes enter McDonald’s and Starbucks branches to encourage consumers not to order from those outlets.
Showing a number of videos showing Israeli soldiers washing clothes with well-known detergent brands is also one way. “Nobody buys these products,” said Ahmad al-Zaro, a cashier at a large supermarket in the capital Amman where customers choose local brands.
In Kuwait City branches of Starbucks, McDonald’s and KFC were reported to be almost empty. In Rabat, Morocco’s capital, a worker at a Starbucks branch said the number of customers had dropped significantly this week, although he did not provide exact figures.
Previously, McDonald’s Corp said in a statement last month that it was “disappointed” by disinformation regarding its position on the conflict. Its franchise in Egypt has confirmed its ownership in Egypt and pledged aid of 20 million Egyptian pounds (Rp. 10 billion) to Gaza.
When asked for comment, Starbucks pointed to a statement on its website about its operations in the Middle East that was updated in October. The statement said it was a non-political organization and dismissed rumors that it had provided support to the Israeli government or army.
Boycott campaigns have spread in countries where pro-Palestinian sentiment has traditionally been strong. Egypt and Jordan actually “made peace” with Israel decades ago, but the agreement did not affect support for the Palestinians.
 Photo: The atmosphere of several foreign restaurants in Egypt, affected by the boycott (REUTERS/MOHAMED ABD EL GHANY) |
The protests also reflect a wave of anger over Israeli military operations that are more destructive than previous attacks. The attack on Gaza caused a humanitarian crisis and killed more than 14,000 civilians.
Please note, this boycott campaign itself was called for by the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. This movement aims to isolate Israel economically and trade.
“The scale of aggression against the Gaza Strip is unprecedented. Therefore, the reaction, whether in the Arab world or even internationally, is unprecedented,” said Hossam Mahmoud, a member of BDS Egypt.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
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