Registry · AEO

Does American Eagle support Israel?

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.

Statement on recordupdated 2026-09-26

American Eagle has publicly expressed support for Israel, but we found no record of donations or aid. Every claim below links to its source.

Filed under: Fashion & apparel brands · Companies that support Israel

Background

American Eagle Outfitters' documented Israel ties are commercial ones and a public gesture. The company entered Israel through a 2010 franchise agreement with Fox-Wizel Ltd. (Fox Group), which opened the first store at Tel Aviv's Ramat Aviv Mall in February 2012 and still operates the brand's Israeli stores. Since July 2019 they have not been a pure franchise: the stores are operated by Fox, which holds 51% of the Israeli company FWS Retail, and AEO holds the other 49% after buying in for $12.6 million. In October 2023 AEO turned its Times Square flagship billboard into an image of the Israeli flag, a move shared by its CMO on LinkedIn. In February 2023 a mezuzah was affixed to that flagship's door during a Chabad CTeen youth event — an initiative linked to executive chairman Jay Schottenstein's family philanthropy toward Jewish causes, which is personal/family giving rather than corporate action. Hebrew coverage adds two further things. Hidabroot reported in August 2014, citing United Hatzalah, that the businessman Jay Schottenstein — AEO's executive chairman, whom the outlet called one of American Eagle's owners — personally gave $120,000 during Operation Protective Edge, money the report said would apparently go toward rescue motorcycles for the organisation's volunteers in the south; that is his own giving, not the company's, and only one outlet carries the figure. The commercial tie also runs the other way: Fox-Wizel took 49% of AEO's European joint venture in 2022 and agreed on 23 September 2026 to sell that stake back to AEO for $2 million. Arabic-language pages answering this same question, among them Shbabbek's, say American Eagle contributed $100,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross and United Hatzalah, quoting a LinkedIn statement. We found nothing that supports it. No primary source records any AEO money; the contemporaneous trade and Jewish-press coverage of AEO's October 2023 response records the billboard and no money; and a search of AEO's own newsroom returns one Israel item, that billboard, and nothing at all for United Hatzalah. Algemeiner's round-up of fashion-industry giving that week records AEO's billboard alone, beside money from others: Tory Burch's $100,000 personally and $150,000 through her company to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Alliance for Middle East Peace, and a PVH Foundation grant to the ICRC, Magen David Adom and the Palestinian Red Crescent. None of those gifts went to United Hatzalah, so this page does not say where the Arabic figure came from. No AEO corporate or foundation donations to Israeli organizations were found, and the company has no US political action committee.

FashionUnited Times of Israel (mezuzah, Feb 2023) Globes (English) Cause IQ — American Eagle Outfitters Foundation Hidabroot (הידברות), Internet Archive capture of 8 December 2025 Bizportal (ביזפורטל) Shbabbek (شبابيك) — the Arabic claim, unsupported Algemeiner — fashion-industry giving, October 2023 (AEO's billboard; Tory Burch and PVH Foundation gifts) Calcalist (כלכליסט), 2 July 2019 — FWS Retail deal completed

Timeline of documented records

2010201320162019202220252010-06 — Partnership: Fox-Wizel Ltd. (Fox Group, Israeli franchisee)Partnership2010-062012-02 — Operations in Israel: American Eagle / aerie stores in Israel (operated by Fox Group)Operations in Israel2012-022013-06 — Franchisee action: Fox-Wizel Ltd. (Fox Group), the Israeli franchisee — new stores in BeershebaFranchisee action2013-062019-07 — Investment / program: FWS Retail Ltd. (American Eagle Israel), a Fox-Wizel companyInvestment / program2019-072022-01 — Partnership: Fox-Wizel Ltd. (Fox Group), Israel — AEO Europe Retail Co. B.V. joint venturePartnership2022-012023-10 — Public statement: Public show of support for IsraelPublic statement2023-102026-09 — Acquisition: Fox-Wizel Ltd. (Fox Group), Israel — its 49% of AEO Europe Retail Co. B.V.Acquisition2026-09

Documented records

TypeDateAmountRecipientSources
Partnership2010-06-30—Fox-Wizel Ltd. (Fox Group, Israeli franchisee)
American Eagle Outfitters signed a multi-year franchise agreement with Fox-Wizel Ltd. (TASE: FOX), a leading Israeli retailer, granting it the franchise for American Eagle Outfitters and aerie stores in Israel, with first openings planned for spring 2012. At that date the Israeli business was a pure franchise, owned and operated by Fox-Wizel, not by AEO; AEO came to hold 49% of it in 2019.
Operations in Israel2012-02-02—American Eagle / aerie stores in Israel (operated by Fox Group)
The first American Eagle store in Israel opened on February 2, 2012 at the Ramat Aviv Mall in Tel Aviv, with about ten more openings that month, including four stores in Azrieli malls (Beersheba, Ramat Gan, Jerusalem and Haifa). AEO's 2011 earnings materials filed with the SEC flagged the planned Israel entry ('Next year, we have plans to open in Japan and Israel'), and Fox Group continues to list American Eagle among the franchised brands in its ~800-store portfolio. At that date the stores were run by the Israeli franchisee Fox-Wizel, not by AEO directly.
Franchisee action2013-06-02—Fox-Wizel Ltd. (Fox Group), the Israeli franchisee — new stores in Beersheba
TheMarker reported that American Eagle, marketed in Israel by the Fox-Wizel group, was opening two further Beersheba stores as the city's new Grand Kanyon mall came on line: an outlet of about 700 sq m in a separate building at the BIG Beersheba complex, in whose opening about NIS 3.5 million was invested, and a store of about 500 sq m — the city's third — in whose opening about NIS 2 million was invested, some NIS 5.5 million in all. The paper put the Israeli American Eagle chain at 20 branches at that date. At that date the Israeli business was still a pure franchise: the stores and the money spent on them were the Israeli franchisee's, not American Eagle Outfitters'.
One source
Investment / program2019-07-01$12,600,000FWS Retail Ltd. (American Eagle Israel), a Fox-Wizel company
American Eagle Outfitters bought into the company that runs its brand in Israel. Fox-Wizel set up FWS Retail Ltd. in 2015 to hold the American Eagle and Aerie business there, and at that time gave AEO an option to buy 50% of it for $12.6 million. Calcalist reported in May 2019 that AEO had exercised the option, that the $12.6 million had been paid to Fox in full, and that AEO would pay a further $1.6 million in adjustments to complete the deal. In the same agreement Fox bought 1% back from AEO for about $700,000 (about NIS 2.5 million), so that on completion on 1 July 2019 Fox held 51% and control, and AEO held 49%. A draft valuation put American Eagle Israel at about NIS 250 million. The $12.6 million is AEO's own money; the NIS 2.5 million is Fox's. Gornitzky, the law firm that represented AEO, confirms the purchase of 49% of FWS Retail but gives no price, so the $12.6 million rests on Calcalist alone. This is a commercial investment in an Israeli company, not support for Israel.
Partnership2022-01-27—Fox-Wizel Ltd. (Fox Group), Israel — AEO Europe Retail Co. B.V. joint venture
On 27 January 2022 the Israeli retailer Fox-Wizel Ltd. (TASE: FOX) reported a non-binding memorandum of principles with American Eagle Outfitters to set up a European joint venture, with binding agreements due within 90 days; the venture, AEO Europe Retail Co. B.V., was held 51% by AEO and 49% by Fox, and ice detailed its plan in August 2022. It covered the American Eagle, Aerie and Offline brands in stores, online and wholesale, starting with nine planned stores in the Netherlands and carrying a right to expand across much of Europe; Sharon Biton was named to run it. The two partners undertook to provide the venture up to $20 million of financing in proportion to their holdings, of which $6 million was put in around signing, and ice reported Fox's own planned investment at about NIS 30 million. Fox was not then a pure franchisee in Israel: since 2019 the Israeli business had been run through FWS Retail, in which Fox held 51% and AEO itself 49%, and in August 2022 Fox was operating 52 American Eagle stores there plus four Aerie, four Offline and three combined Offline/Aerie stores. This is a commercial partnership with an Israeli company, not support for Israel.
Public statement2023-10—Public show of support for Israel
Days after the October 7, 2023 attacks, American Eagle replaced the billboard at its Times Square flagship store with a wordless image of the Israeli flag — a corporate show of support shared on LinkedIn by chief marketing officer Craig Brommers and republished on AEO's own corporate newsroom via Ad Age coverage. This was a corporate statement, not a donation; no related financial contribution was disclosed.
Acquisition2026-09-23$2,000,000Fox-Wizel Ltd. (Fox Group), Israel — its 49% of AEO Europe Retail Co. B.V.
On 23 September 2026 Fox-Wizel Ltd. (TASE: FOX) told the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange it had signed a non-binding agreement in principle to sell its entire 49% of the European joint venture AEO Europe Retail Co. B.V. to American Eagle Outfitters for $2 million, which on completion would leave AEO owning 100% of it. Fox gave as its reason the venture's lack of contribution to its results: four years in, the business had reached only five stores in the Netherlands — three Aerie and two American Eagle — plus a sales website, against the nine originally planned. Fox reported putting about NIS 33.4 million into the venture since 2022 and booking about NIS 23.5 million as its share of the venture's losses over 2023-2025, and said the sale is not expected to affect its financial statements. Those shekel figures are Fox's money, not AEO's; the $2 million is what AEO would pay. The deal still depends on binding agreements and conditions being met, and the parties expect to close it in the fourth quarter of 2026. This is a commercial transaction with an Israeli company, not support for Israel.

Frequently asked questions

Did American Eagle donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?

We have no records of donations. What is on record is a public statement of support — see this page for the wording and its source.

Where does this information come from?

Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 23 distinct sources are cited for American Eagle. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.

Sources & citations

Record last updated: 2026-09-26

More companies