Financial weapon: Arab nations boycott pro-Israeli companies

As a means to weaken the US and European economies over their full support for Israel, which has committed war crimes against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, Arab nations have launched a campaign to boycott all brands that have supported Israel in its genocidal war.

In Egypt, calls for a boycott launched since the outbreak of the conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis, especially after Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb called for it. Also, several people called for a boycott on their social media accounts.

However, the boycott among the Egyptians and Jordanians spread when the fast-food chain McDonald's in Israel announced its support for the Israeli soldiers by providing them free meals during the war. 

In response, people in Arab nations decided to boycott the company’s branches in their countries. Although the branches in Arab countries denounced the Israeli branch and clarified that their branches are independent, people continued the boycott, to the extent that these chains offered tremendous discounts. But the boycott continued, and many people published photos to remind others that the boycott was launched in solidarity with the Palestinian children whose lives have been claimed by the Israeli occupation’s non-stop shelling of Gaza.

The boycott was not only directed at McDonald's but also other US and European brands like Pepsi, Coca Cola, Starbucks, Uber, Careem, and other companies like Siemens, Omo, Airbnb, Lipton, Danone, Carrefour, Hewlett Packard (HP), Amazon, and others.

Some social media users shared posts saying, “You paid money to [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] to [kill children].”

Another post said, “When [the boycotted brands] come out with offers that you feel are tempting […] remember: [the Palestinian children] only wanted bread [when they were killed while waiting to buy bread].”

The Arabic hashtag “I am boycotting” was created on social media to encourage people not to stop boycotting these pro-Israeli brands. Others shared photos of the effects of the boycott, with unsold Coca Cola and Pepsi that will be returned to the companies.

The Palestinian-led “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions” (BDS) movement published all products supporting Israel in its war on Gaza and other Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem, saying, “Ending all state, corporate and institutional complicity with Israel’s genocidal regime is more urgent than ever. Our lives and livelihoods literally depend on it.”

Counter-campaigning

In Kuwait, the boycott also was effective to the extent that a Kuwaiti influencer was offered to make a counter-campaign against the boycott, but he refused and spoke on his social media account about this counter-campaign. Also, in Qatar, the French patisserie Maître Choux lost its contract in the country over its support for Israel upon calls by the people.

The General Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce (FEDCOC) issued a statement on November 2 calling for ending the boycott of the products of companies and restaurants “that were said to support Israel in its war on Gaza.”

“The General Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce undoubtedly stands by our brothers in Gaza and participates with the members and federations of Arab chambers in providing the necessary aid, but it must make clear that those companies that were called for to boycott operate under the franchise system, meaning that the main company does not own any among the branches located in various countries of the world; its branches in Egypt are owned by Egyptian investors,” FEDCOC said in a statement. However, boycotters on social media announced that they would keep on the boycott.

Mourad Aly, the partner of a Turkish political marketing and event organizing company and CEO of a Turkish company specializing in strategic consulting, replied on his X account that the FEDCOC statement is economically wrong because boycotting the international brands can help bolster the local industry and products and provide opportunities for local companies to compete internationally.

He added that the boycott is very effective, as it has had a tremendous impact on the companies’ revenues, noting that it can suspend the government’s contracts with the boycotted companies, which can lead to a decline in the companies’ stocks, market value and reputations.

Indeed, some Egyptian soft drink companies like Spiro Spathis have achieved a boom in their sales in several governorates across Egypt. In addition to this, the company has offered more job opportunities. Meanwhile, other local brands promoted their products as alternatives to several boycotted companies.

Speaking to Jusoor Post, employees at Egyptian retail stores affirmed that the boycott succeeded by 40-60%, and they find some customers asking about Egyptian brands instead of the boycotted products. Meanwhile, some café shops like Starbucks in some areas across Cairo are empty, and the boycott is still underway.