McDonald’s Won’t Open Restaurant in Ariel Settlement in Occupied West Bank
McDonald’s Israel declined an offer to open a restaurant in Ariel because it is located in the West Bank.
In a statement, McDonald’s said its refusal to open a franchise in the West Bank has “always been the restaurant chain’s policy,” according to the Calcalist, the Israeli business daily that first reported the story.
McDonald’s had been approached by a realtor to open in a mall scheduled to be completed by the end of 2014. About 50 stores and eateries, many of them chains, either are on board or in talks to open in the Ariel Mall, according to The Calcalist. Some of the chains are wary of committing to the project because of its West Bank location, the report said.
The owner and general manager of McDonald’s Israel, Omri Padan, is a founder of Peace Now.
Rami Levy, the Israeli supermarket mogul who is an investor in the new mall, told Calcalist, “I do not accept that companies make business decisions that are informed by political considerations. The mall in Ariel is expected to employ Arab and Jewish workers from the area and to provide services for these populations.”
A cultural center in Ariel and the Ariel University both have been the target of boycotts.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30