McDonald's turns down offer to open restaurant in West Bank settlement

[azurnoir]

The Israeli financial daily Calcalist reported this morning (Wednesday) that McDonald’s has turned down an offer to open a restaurant in the settlement of Ariel, beyond the Green Line. The local contractor for McDonald’s in Israel is Omri Padan, one of the founders of Peace Now. McDonald’s-Israel has confirmed the report in Calcalist.

A representative of the company, who is in charge of marketing shops for the new mall in Ariel admitted that some other chains will also be absent from the project, despite its relatively low rental fees. According to Tzachi Nachmias, several companies who deal with Europe or hold franchises in international brands fear that operating in the occupied territories will hurt their business.

http://972mag.com/mcdonalds-turned-down-offer-to-open-restaurant-in-the-settlement-of-ariel/74412/

[Israeli]

1. chalk one up for us azurnoir

McDonalds Israel owner and general manager Omri Padan is a former soldier in the Israel Defense Forces' elite Sayeret Matkal unit, and a founder of the left-wing Peace Now organization.

Padan said in an interview published in Haaretz in 1998 that "McDonald’s-Israel neither did nor will open a branch at any Israeli settlement beyond the Green Line [the 1967 borders]. Already when I was the general manager of Kitan Textiles I told the board I would resign immediately if they move to open a plant [in] the West Bank. I have the privilege of not needing to compromise on my principles."

http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=10273

I'm not a great lover of the food they serve but tomorrow night my family and many of my friends plan to go eat at our local McDonalds and give them three cheers .

[shira]

13. The 1st McDonalds didn't open until 1993 due to the Arab boycott...

So who gets the pat-on-the-back and congrats for that one?

[Israeli]

15. are you talking to me shira ?

The American tourist that calls Shulamit Aloni a liar ?
I dont think so .

Love it how you dont object to the settlers calling to boycott McDonald’s ....but the international boycott of settlers produce is anti-semetic .... ???? !!!!!!

Of course Omri Padan is just a self hating Jewish Leftist ... and who are we ?

Pat yourself on the back shira and congrats ... because we are losing :

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4397904,00.html

[shira]

16. this is a discussion board, after all

The American tourist that calls Shulamit Aloni a liar ?
I dont think so .

If she didn't lie, then why don't you attempt to explain why she labeled Israeli roads in the W.Bank as "Jew Only"? You can't defend that b/c it's a lie.

Love it how you dont object to the settlers calling to boycott McDonald’s ....but the international boycott of settlers produce is anti-semetic .... ???? !!!!!!

I don't think boycotting WB produce is necessarily antisemitic, no more so than legit criticism of Israeli policy. However, I can understand why people are against it. Those who aren't rightwing simply do not want to assist the International Jew haters and fascists out there doing their BDS bullshit. Can't say I blame them.

Of course Omri Padan is just a self hating Jewish Leftist ... and who are we ?

I wouldn't say that. And I don't know what you are. You say one thing and then sing the opposite tune the next day. You say you're for 2 states but you're in neck-deep with the 1-state BDS crowd and advocate pretty much the same way they do.

Pat yourself on the back shira and congrats ... because we are losing :

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4397904,00.html

There seems to be a little more to it than church vs. state...

Meretz's Nitzan Horowitz, who is running for Tel Aviv mayor, also backed the ruling but said that if elected he would work to change the law.

In 2007, grocers filed a petition with the Tel Aviv District Court, claiming there is unequal enforcement of the law, and while they are forced to shut down their stores on Saturdays in order to avoid penalties, the big chains go unharmed and therefore have a significant advantage, while they suffer significant economic damage.

Of course Nitzan Horowitz is a far rightwing Kahanist who backs the ruling.

[eyl]

25. In addition, the ruling

to enforce the Shabbat laws was legally sound. Basically, the court ruled that if the municipality wished not to enforce the law (actually municipal ordinances rather than a national law) they could change it, but not effectively ignore it if it's on the books, especially in a selective fashion (what currently happens is that if a business opens on Shabbat, it gets hit with a fine of about $200, which is peanuts for the large businesses but much more harmful for the smaller ones).

[Mosby]

2. McDonald's (Israel) bans Arabic

McDonald's, the fast food chain that claims to be an equal opportunities employer, has been criticised in Israel for forcing employees to speak only Hebrew to customers.

It has banned the use of Arabic, which is an official language of Israel spoken by 20% of the population. Russian, which is not an official language but spoken by 20% of the population, is also banned.

The rules emerged after one worker, Abeer Zinaty, 20, claimed she was dismissed from the branch of McDonald's in Ramle, near Tel Aviv.

-snip-

Representatives of McDonald's in Israel declined to comment.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/mar/11/israel

[azurnoir]

3. Thanks for posting aren't most Micky D's locally owned franchises?

hence the headline on the OP

[Mosby]

4. not in israel

In israel all 160 mcdonalds are owned by omri padan and family. The parent company is called alonyal ba'am.

[azurnoir]

5. so all Micky D's in Israel are owned by 1 Israeli family thanks for the

ah correction

[Mosby]

6. right, they are all owned by one bigot

Who doesn't like hearing arabic spoken in his stores.

[azurnoir]

8. well at least 9 years ago , however it also could have easily been individual managers

I find it hard to believe that one of the founders of peace now would make such an order, but not at all surprising he would be called a bigot

[Israeli]

9. load of bull Mosby

I can see what side you are on clearly now .

The problems came about because three languages were being used amongst staff ... Hebrew,Arabic and Russian ... and it was causing confusion in the orders between the front staff and the kitchen...so for efficiency in the workplace the staff were told to stick to one language only ... that was back in 2004 , the order was subsequently withdrawn because of cries of racism , which it wasnt .

In the meantime the settlers are calling to boycott McDonald’s ... yeah that will work .... I kinda think the religious right boycotted cheeseburgers long before America created the McDonald’s franchise .

See : http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Settlers-call-to-boycott-McDonalds-for-refusing-to-open-in-Ariel-317888

[Mosby]

11. that's not a very plausable explanation

Last edited Sat Jun 29, 2013, 04:49 PM - Edit history (1)

According to you when a customer orders food in a mcdonalds in israel the cashier turns around and calls it out to the kitchen? Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, chip, chip!

I suspect that they use those things called computers, the order is entered into the system using a special keyboard and it is instantly displayed on a monitor in the cooking area, no verbal communication is necessary.

Nice try though.

Ps - there are 40 kosher mcdonalds in israel, the signs are color coded or something.

[Israeli]

12. and yours ?

Who doesn't like hearing arabic spoken in his stores.

If he didnt like hearing arabic spoken in his stores then he would not employ Arabs now would he ?

Ps - there are 40 kosher mcdonalds in israel, the signs are color coded or something.

Yup .. only 40 .. and none in the Wild West Bank

[eyl]

24. Actually

I don't know if it's the case in all branches, but in many of them the orders are verbally called out.

As for signs, kosher branches have blue backgrounds (as opposed to the normal red)

[aquart]

28. Cheeseburger? In Israel?

[eyl]

29. yes n/t

[azurnoir]

30. depends there are Kosher and non-Kosher McDona;lds in Israel

you can get a cheezburger at the non-Kosher ones

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g297757-d3612302-r144959977-McDonalds-Nahariya_Northern_District.html

[Scootaloo]

35. If they're boycotting McDonalds, does that mean they're being anti-Irish?

I mean, by the logic they themselves apply to boycotting...

[Scootaloo]

7. Good for Ariel n/t

[delrem]

31. Note that Israeli got tossed from this thread for offending shira.

In light of this I think we should all be much more aware of shira's hyper sensitivity.
pelsar, too, is hyper sensitive, although he swears upon his honor as a Zionist that he doesn't prefer the "alert" system, and has never used it. I can almost verify that as being true, except for that it contradicts a few actual indications.

The note that offended shira, our delicate flower, explained that Israeli was putting shira on "ignore".
I think that was a damn good decision.
I agree with Israeli that shira goes well beyond more than one "red line", and shira indicates no understanding whatsoever of what those "red lines" consist of.

[Scootaloo]

32. Well, to be fair...

I think it was more over the "you're a total fruit and nut case" part. Hell, I would have elected to hide that post. Maybe if Israeli had expounded on these opinions, given a why for the assertion rather than just leaving it at the assertion...

Granted, I doubt that Israeli gives a damn if her post was hidden. I mean if you're going to chuck someone on ignore, does it matter if they get your post hidden? Pfft. I'd be more worried over whether the ignore feature still hides every single thread the ignored person has posted on. Fucking annoying, that is.

[delrem]

36. I totally understand how an unaware jury mightn't have seen those words as fitting.

As to the "why?", c'mon Scooter, you've conversed with shira, right?
To anyone who's conversed with shira the "why?" of "you're a total fruit and nut case" is self-evident, don't you think? This is about a person, shira, whose discourses would send a shiver up the spine of a Buddhist monk, and perhaps cause self-immolation. I shit you not.

[Scootaloo]

37. It's rather beside the point, with how juries work, though

A juror comes to the post, sees bald insults, and votes to hide. It's more of a "DU standards" thing, than a "content and context" thing.

Granted one would think that by DU standards, there wouldn't be a Shira in the first place, but that's where we get into MIRT-level politics.

[delrem]

38. Well, I fukkin hate MIRT-level politics.

[Fozzledick]

14. I wonder how many McDonald's there are in Gaza?

[delrem]

18. Hi Fozzledick!

You could ask McDonalds, but that'd spoil the fun.

My guess is that there are plenty of McDonald's, Burger King's, Wendy's, and even creepier joints in Gaza, because Gaza is flush with cash. Just look at oberliner's posts on Gazan cuisine, and shira's endorsements, for verification of the kind of life of leisure and debauchery that such easy and unearned wealth gives rise to. And of course any area that can host so many 5 star hotels, 4 star restaurants, can host an almost limitless number of McD's.

But let's not broadcast this *too much*, OK? Because once it becomes too well known the hoi polloi will inevitably be in line for cheapo vacations in Gaza in their hordes, spoiling it for those of us "in the know".
Yeaaauuughhh! Bletch!

I can hardly imagine the pain Israeli settlers must feel every moment from being deprived of easy access to a McD's. Not enough is said about how Israel is the victim of Palestinian aggression and theft, or of the police state tactics of the Palestinian gov't which has absolute power over Israel and which uses that power to push Israelis into smaller and smaller ghettos. None of which has a McD's.

[Fozzledick]

19. In other words, you don't have a clue.

So many words, so little information.

[azurnoir]

20. well why do you not share your wisdom with us

is there a McDonalds in Gaza, or is there something else your anxious to share?

[Fozzledick]

21. Hey, I'm the one who asked the question.

I take it you have no answer either.

But there are a couple of issues I'd like to consider:

Has McDonald's ever considered opening a franchise in Gaza?

If not, is it because of a political boycott, or because they don't consider it a good place to do business, possibly due to the ruling theocratic dictatorship's murderous hostility to anyone they consider to be Western, secular, or just not sufficiently fanatic.

And for what it's worth, how does this compare to the business climate in Israel?

Feel free to answer if you care to, but I expect nothing more than the usual evasions.

[azurnoir]

23. what's to "evade" first off you seem mistaken about how a franchise operates

it would be someone from Gaza or perhaps elsewhere that would approach the Mickey D's corporation about opening a franchise in Gaza, has that been done, to be honest I don't know what I do know however is that the closest McDonald's to Gaza save those in Israel probably would be the 2 in Sharm el-Sheikh, there are a number in Egypt

http://www.mcdonaldsegypt.com/en/stores/page/228

also ME McDonalds sell a couple of items that if added to their American menu might get me to go, otherwise IMO their burgers taste greasy, those would the 2 McArabia sandwiches

http://www.mcdonaldsegypt.com/en/products-category/page/274/cat/16

[delrem]

22. I'm sure you have a much better clue how many McD's in Gaza, Fozzledick!

But until you explain it, I'll stick to my guestimate based on oberliner and shira's posts on all the 5 star hotels and 4 star restaurants dotting the sylvan countryside.

By the way, how are you doing Fozzledick? Are you feeling good about the new settlements coming down the pipe? Or the several tens of thousands of Bedouin displacements in the Negev making room for new Jewish developments (it's all about the land, n'est ce pas?)? I just bet you are, you little devil you! Hey, say hi to shira for me. She and Pam are beauts, wouldn't you say?

[Scootaloo]

33. None, Gaza is ruled by the Burger King.

It's the beard, you know.

[aquart]

26. When you have a reputation for burning down and blowing up when you feel aggrieved...

people tend to shun you.

[Scootaloo]

34. You know Ariel is an Israeli settlement, right?

But even if you didn't, you raise a good point

[bravenak]

27. Uh oh.

The tide is turning.