ASX Faces Legal Action Over Failed Blockchain CHESS Project 
Trump Media Says Truth API Draws 10+ Customers as Conflict Concerns Grow 
ANZ Home Loan Applications Drop 12% After Australia Property Tax Changes 
Lenovo Revenue Surges 43% as AI Demand Drives Record First-Quarter Growth 
Maersk Raises 2026 Earnings Outlook as Shipping Profits Beat Expectations 
Hanwha Offers Up to $1.2 Billion for Austal US Business 
JPMorgan Plans More Asia-Pacific Hiring in 2027 as Corporate Banking Revenue Surges 
Samsung, SK Hynix Shares Surge on Report of Potential Temasek Investment 
Google Pushes Gemini AI Overhaul as Sergey Brin Targets Model Supremacy 
Thyssenkrupp Raises 2026 Profit Outlook as Steel and Materials Units Strengthen 
Paramount Weighs CNN Sale as $110B Warner Bros. Discovery Deal Faces Antitrust Fight 
OpenAI Executive Brad Lightcap to Leave for New AI Venture 
Goldman Sachs Eyes Investors for Nvidia’s $500 Billion AI Financing Plan 
Bank of America to Buy Up to 49.9% Stake in Jio Credit for $1.92 Billion 
Anthropic Eyes $6B Decart AI Acquisition Ahead of Mega IPO 
SpaceX Shares Surge as Wall Street Backs AI Growth Potential 
Austal Shares Surge 16% as Hanwha Offers Up to $1.2 Billion for U.S. Shipbuilding Business 
Add as a preferred source on Google
McDonald's is buying back all of its restaurants from its local franchisee in Israel. The American fast-food chain will reacquire 225 stores from Alonyal Ltd. amid pressure from boycott calls and global backlash against the brand in response to the controversies related to the Israel-Hamas war.
According to BBC News, McDonald's was heavily criticized when Alonyal-operated stores started serving free meals to Israeli soldiers. Since the war broke out in the territory last year, it was reported that sales from the franchised outlets have dropped.
Buy Back Deal Between McDonald's and Alonyal
On Thursday, April 4, McDonald's revealed it has signed a deal with Alonyal to return its 225 restaurants across Israel. The stores employ 5,000 staff, and the latter has been operating the chain for more than 30 years now.
McDonald's said that after taking back the stores from Alonyal, it would retain the employees and continue serving customers in the country. It remained committed to the Israeli market despite the recent controversies and condemnation it received.
Protests Against McDonald's Amid the War
It can be recalled that the decision to give away free McDonald's meals to Israeli soldiers sparked boycott calls not only from Muslim-majority countries but worldwide. The protests against the brand led many countries to distance themselves from the chain, and people stopped buying from the stores. As a result, sales plummeted.
The Times of Israel reported that the decline was reflected in McDonald's earnings report in February. The company admitted that the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza that started in October 2023 has been weighing on the financial results.
"In every country where we operate, including in Muslim countries, McDonald's is proudly represented by local owner-operators," McDonald's chief executive officer Chris Kempczinski said at that time. "So long as this war is going on, we are not expecting to see any significant improvement in these markets."
Finally, McDonald's hopes that taking back its stores in Israel can restore its reputation in the Middle East and the world and that sales will return to normal levels once again.
Photo by: Dixit Dhinakaran/Unsplash
