Registry · MCD

Does McDonald's support Israel?

McDonald's Corporation

Business presence documentedupdated 2026-09-26

McDonald's does business in Israel — we found records of its operations there, but no record of donations, aid, or a public statement of support. Every claim below links to its source.

Filed under: Fast food & restaurant chains · Companies that support Israel

Background

The October 2023 meal donations to Israeli soldiers came from McDonald's Israel, then owned and operated by local franchisee Alonyal Ltd. — not from McDonald's Corporation, which responded that it 'is not funding or supporting any governments involved in this conflict' and that any actions by its local licensees 'were made independently without McDonald's consent or approval.' The franchisee's actions nonetheless triggered boycotts across Muslim-majority markets; in a January 5, 2024 LinkedIn statement CEO Chris Kempczinski acknowledged the backlash was causing 'a meaningful business impact' in the Middle East and beyond, calling it 'disheartening and ill-founded.' In April 2024 McDonald's Corporation agreed to buy the entire Israeli business back from Alonyal, completing the acquisition on July 2, 2024 — so the Israeli operation, run by a franchisee for over 30 years, is now owned and operated by McDonald's Corporation itself, which says it remains committed to the Israeli market. Licensees elsewhere moved in the opposite direction: McDonald's Turkiye announced a $1 million donation for those harmed by the conflict in Gaza and said there is no operational or organisational link between it and McDonald's Israel, which it described as acting independently; the Kuwaiti and Saudi licensees announced they would support Gaza residents financially, and McDonald's Pakistan issued a clarification disavowing any connection to the Israeli brand. As of January 2026 the Israeli business was still being run directly by McDonald's global management with no local franchisee: Israeli outlet ice, citing N12, reported that the chain had approached senior Israeli fast-food executives about running the local operation on its behalf, and that the tender for a new franchisee remained open with no closing date.

Time Fortune (Kempczinski 'meaningful business impact' statement) Al Jazeera Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (McDonald's corporate response) ice (Hebrew, 15 October 2023 - McDonald's Turkiye donation and licensee statements) ice (Hebrew, 8 January 2026 - Israeli operation run directly, franchise tender open)

Timeline of documented records

2024202520262023-10 — Franchisee action: IDF soldiers, Israeli security forces, hospitals, and first respondersFranchisee action2023-102023-11 — Franchisee action: Public awareness campaign for the hostages held in Gaza (no funds transferred)Franchisee action2023-112024-07 — Acquisition: Alonyal Ltd. (McDonald's Israel franchisee)Acquisition2024-072025-11 — PartnershipPartnership2025-112026-04 — Operations in IsraelOperations in Israel2026-04

Documented records

TypeDateAmountRecipientSources
Franchisee action2023-10$1,200,000IDF soldiers, Israeli security forces, hospitals, and first responders
McDonald's Israel — at the time owned and operated by local franchisee Alonyal Ltd., not by McDonald's Corporation — donated more than 100,000 free meals worth about NIS 5 million (over $1.2 million) to IDF soldiers, security forces, hospitals, and war-impacted residents after October 7, 2023, keeping five branches open exclusively to prepare the food and offering a 50% discount to uniformed security and rescue personnel. McDonald's Corporation later stated the franchisee acted independently and without its consent. The 50% discount did not last: in January 2025, after the corporation had taken the business over, it was cut back to the 15% that uniformed security personnel had held before the war.
Franchisee action2023-11—Public awareness campaign for the hostages held in Gaza (no funds transferred)
McDonald's branches in Israel put up screens projecting photographs of the hostages held in Gaza. Globes reported on 16 November 2023 that the campaign was run at the initiative of Alonyal Ltd., then the Israeli franchisee, and not by McDonald's Corporation, and that it followed the chain's donation of 100,000 meals to the security forces, residents of the communities on the Gaza border and hospitals. Globes wrote that the campaign had drawn criticism of the chain worldwide and calls for a boycott but was continuing, with the screens still standing in the branches; its photograph shows hostage posters at a branch in Ramat Gan. No money changed hands in this action, and it is recorded here as an act of the franchisee.
One source
Acquisition2024-07-02—Alonyal Ltd. (McDonald's Israel franchisee)
McDonald's Corporation itself bought back its entire Israeli business from franchisee Alonyal Ltd. — agreement announced April 4, 2024 (Alonyal's own release put the business at 225 restaurants and 5,000+ employees at that point), completed July 2, 2024, per the company's SEC 10-Q ('On July 2, 2024, the Company completed the acquisition of Alonyal Limited, which owns and operates 228 McDonald's restaurants in Israel'). The 225-vs-228 gap reflects the restaurant count at announcement versus at closing three months later, not a discrepancy between sources. McDonald's retained Alonyal's employees on equivalent terms, and Jo Sempels, President of McDonald's International Developmental Licensed Markets, said the company 'remains committed to the Israeli market.' Purchase price was not disclosed.
Partnership2025-11——
McDonald's Israel - owned by McDonald's Corporation since it bought the business back from franchisee Alonyal in July 2024 - and Hever, the consumer club for Israel's career security-service personnel, launched a joint arrangement that took effect at the end of November 2025 and gives Hever cardholders an average discount of about 35%. Globes reported it as an exclusive on 4 December 2025 and set out the history: security-forces personnel had long held a standing 15% discount; the franchisee raised it to 50% for soldiers and police in uniform after the war began in October 2023; and in January 2025, after international boycott pressure led by the BDS movement, instructions came from McDonald's global headquarters to cut it back to the pre-war 15% - a reduction the company's international headquarters said at the time was meant to prevent losses at some of its restaurants across the Middle East. TheMarker reported the same reduction, alongside price rises on part of the menu, on 20 January 2025. The new benefit reaches Hever cardholders only rather than all soldiers, and it is a price discount, not a donation.
Operations in Israel2026-04-26——
McDonald's Israel, run directly by McDonald's Corporation since the July 2024 buyback from Alonyal, opened a flagship restaurant at Merkaz HaCarmel in Haifa on 26 April 2026. Israeli outlet ice reported it as the chain's ninth branch in the city, joining eight already there, and put the chain at 238 restaurants across Israel - ten more than the 228 the corporation acquired with Alonyal in 2024. The branch runs to about 360 square metres, opens seven days a week and takes orders at self-service McTouch terminals. Ohad Ehrenreich, senior vice-president of development at McDonald's Israel, said the opening was part of the chain's growth strategy and that McDonald's branches are a sought-after anchor in every new complex they open in. This is commercial expansion by the corporation's own Israeli business.
One source

Frequently asked questions

Did McDonald's donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?

We have no records of donations. What is on record is commercial activity in Israel (Franchisee action, Acquisition, Partnership, Operations in Israel), which is not the same as support — see the records on this page.

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. 17 distinct sources are cited for McDonald's. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.

Sources & citations

Record last updated: 2026-09-26

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