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| McDonald's Strategic Takeover in Israel |
NEWSLINE PAPER,- Unexpectedly, McDonald's decided to retake ownership of its outlets in Israel, bringing franchisee Alonyal and CEO Omri Padan international attention.
This crucial decision is being taken during a period of sharp decline in overseas sales, which is associated with a boycott of the brand due to its purported support of Israel in the Gaza-Hamas conflict.
McDonald's permits individual operators to get a license to run its locations by using a franchise model. There was criticism when CEO Omri Padan provided free lunches to Israeli soldiers beginning on October 7 during the Israel-Gaza conflict.
A boycott was initiated by a few countries with large Muslim populations, including Kuwait, Malaysia, and Pakistan, who charged the corporation of endorsing Israel's activities.
Omri Padan has been working with McDonald's in Israel for more than thirty years, which has brought him into contentious Israeli-Palestinian issues. Given the company's policy of not operating in occupied regions, his 2013 decision to close a branch in the Ariel settlement in the West Bank generated controversy.
2019 saw McDonald's land a deal to operate a restaurant at Ben-Gurion Airport in spite of opposition, which sparked more tensions and protests from settlement authorities.
Since the specifics of the deal are unknown, Alonyal's recent decision to sell its franchise back to McDonald's has surprised many. Following criticism of Padan's decisions—more especially, his decision to feed Israeli soldiers for free—this development occurred. While some conjecture on Padan's potential financial gains from the deal, others view it as a victory for the boycott's impact on the company's performance.
McDonald's is aware of the significant impact of the Israel-Gaza conflict on its worldwide sales and attributes some of the fourth-quarter performance decline to the disturbance. CEO Chris Kempczinski is disappointed in the unwarranted boycott and thinks the criticism is the result of false information. McDonald's is committed even in the face of these challenges.