MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS ARE PROFITING OFF GLOBAL CONFLICT
By John P . Ruehl
Shortly after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War and the beginning of the wide-scale destruction of Gaza in October 2023 , McDonald ’ s executives in Chicago found themselves inadvertently entangled in the conflict .
Local owners of McDonald ’ s restaurants are given significant autonomy over profits and operations , and franchisees had begun taking sides . Social media posts by McDonald ’ s in Israel highlighted the provision of free meals to Israeli soldiers , causing McDonald ’ s franchises across the Middle East to collectively pledge millions of dollars to support Palestinians in Gaza .
McDonald ’ s has since attempted to minimize commenting on the franchisees and navigate its way through the controversy . In April 2024 , McDonald ’ s Corporation announced it would buy back 225 of its restaurants from Alonyal Limited , the Israeli company that manages McDonald ’ s in the country , for an undisclosed amount .
Expected to be finalized over the next few months , the deal will keep McDonald ’ s busy as the company tries to reverse the decline in regional sales and stock price caused by the affair .
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