Jordan: Anti-Israel Boycott Campaigns Target American, British, French Products, Companies
Consumer revolt in Jordan targets multinational chains accused of backing Israel
Jordanian citizens launched a strong boycott campaign via social media platforms against American products and brands that they say “support Israel.” Jordanian restaurants and shops published pictures of products that they feel are local alternatives to soft drinks like Coke and Pepsi, while supermarkets placed warning signs on their shelves alerting consumers if a product is American and should be boycotted.
Supermarkets placed warning signs on their shelves alerting consumers if a product is American and should be boycotted. (Daoud Kuttab/The Media Line)
The campaign began on October 20, when the Israeli branch of McDonald’s distributed meals to soldiers of the Israeli army.
Jordanians considered that these companies were contributing to Israel in its war on Gaza. A posting on X confirmed that McDonald’s Israel, the Israeli master franchise of the fast food restaurant chain McDonald’s, does give IDF soldiers a discount.
— McDonald’s Israel | מקדונלד׳ס ישראל (@McDonaldsIL) October 22, 2023
The boycott has expanded beyond McDonald’s to include other American restaurants in the kingdom, such as the Starbucks coffee chain, KFC, and Pizza Hut, in addition to French products such as Carrefour markets—despite these stores issuing statements confirming that they are locally owned companies, with a franchise agreement, and that they are employing Jordanians.
The Starbucks coffee shop in the plush Abdoun neighborhood of the Jordanian capital is usually full in the early morning hours. But on Monday, October 30, just a few cars were in the parking lot—most likely belonging to the shop’s staff. In another part of the city, the mall’s main grocery store, Carrefour, was empty. Social media highlighted a poster said to be produced by the French company that had the words ‘Standing with Israel’ next to its logo. The BDS movement has called on its supporters worldwide to boycott Carrefour.
Volunteers have been seen standing outside the drive-in part of the KFC fast-food restaurant shaming perspective clients from buying from the American fast-food chain.
A visit to Tasej, a local Jordanian fast-food restaurant on the famous Garden’s Street in Amman, revealed that it has no affiliation with any major international franchise, informing its customers that they stopped adding the well-known soft drink brands and instead packaged their sandwich packages with alternative local soft drinks.
Armoush Tourist Investments Company, the local Jordanian McDonald’s franchisee, said in a statement that the percentage that McDonald’s International receives in exchange for granting the commercial franchise to any of the agents has not and will not be used for any government or for the benefit of any policy.
The company reiterated in the statement that it does not support Israel in any way, saying that its position against the attack on innocents in the Gaza Strip is uncompromising, and McDonald’s Jordan was, and still is, one of the main companies supporting the Jordanian economy by training and employing Jordanian youth from various segments of society. Through its cooperation with Jordanian suppliers and by launching charitable campaigns and humanitarian initiatives it also supports Jordanian initiatives. The company announced an initial JD 100,000 contribution to aid Palestinians in Gaza by way of the Hashemite Charitable Fund. The Media Line has learned from sources close to the local owners that they have lost more than 90% of their regular sales since October 7.
Economic damages
A member of the Board of Directors of the Amman Chamber of Commerce, Falah Al-Saghir, called on Jordanians to be careful in their purchase decision-making. “Citizens must make sure carefully before boycotting any company because any inaccurate boycott negatively affects the local economy and harms workers in many institutions,” he told The Media Line.
Boycott campaigns are not organized in advance so that the individual can choose alternatives. Rather, they come out at times of crisis and wars, such as the conditions we are currently witnessing. There must be clear references before the boycott that make it clear that these companies support the ‘occupation’ and encourage the killing of the people of Gaza.
“Boycott campaigns are not organized in advance so that the individual can choose alternatives. Rather, they come out at times of crisis and wars, such as the conditions we are currently witnessing. There must be clear references before the boycott that make it clear that these companies support the ‘occupation’ and encourage the killing of the people of Gaza.”
“There are companies that have taken advantage of the boycott movements to promote themselves by claiming that they are opening the doors of employment to workers. [These] may exceed their ability to employ [them] for the purpose of marketing, and this may harm many workers and companies.”
Al-Saghir revealed to The Media Line that the Amman Chamber of Commerce is in the process of compiling lists of companies that support [Israel] so that the consumer will be aware of this.
Muhammad Al-Absi, coordinator of the Action Group to Support the Resistance and Confront Normalization (an alliance of parties and independents), also called on the public to be careful in verifying companies that support Israel. “The size of the boycott is large and there are inaccurate lists of products included in the boycott.”
Al Absi said that there are organized boycott campaigns for the BDS movement and lists published on their website, even though their standards for boycott are lower than the standards of Arab boycott movements. He added, “Unfortunately, the regulations for boycotting international companies that support the Zionist entity may be countless, and whoever adopts them as a basis will fail, whether he is an individual or specialized movement. The goal of the boycott is not to incapacitate people, but rather its goal is achieved by focusing on the worst among those companies and what we can boycott and what is available to them.”
Jordanian journalist Batir Wardam commented on his Facebook page, “Boycotting products that support the occupation is a very important part of a civil struggle behavior and must be transformed into a way of life. There are two important notes in this regard. First, the products that must be boycotted must be companies or institutions proven to actually support the occupation. Secondly, the value of this option is a personal decision and must not be imposed. It is not permissible for some people to try to impose a boycott on others by preventing them from accessing some sites or purchasing some products. We do not want new inquisitions in our lives. It is enough for us what exists.”
There is no scientific research being done that proves that this or that company is supporting or not supporting Israel. But it appears that for the boycott campaigners, it is enough for a company to be American or British (the two countries whose governments are supporting Israel) to be placed on the boycott list. In previous conflicts, especially during the aftermath of September 11, similar campaigns were launched but they did not take effect and the boycott was short-lived even if it did take place.
While local experts are predicting a slowdown in the Jordanian economy, one business has seen some increase in sales. Companies producing and selling flags, red, green, and black keffiyehs, and other paraphernalia connected to the conflict are in demand by protesters who want to show their support to their Palestinian brethren.
