Fast food giant McDonald's has refused to establish a new branch in a West Bank Jewish settlement, the company said Thursday, citing a boycott against Israel's settlements, the Jerusalem Post noted.
Meanwhile, McDonald's competition, Burger Ranch, quickly jumped on the opportunity to open up a store in a new shopping mall in the Samaria city of Ariel.
McDonald's spokesperson Irina Shalmor said chain refused to open up a store in the new mall as McDonald's Israel has a policy of staying out of the occupied territories. The decision was not coordinated with McDonald's headquarters in the U.S.
According to Ariel Mayor Eliyahu Shaviro, "McDonald's decision not to be part of the Ariel mall is a miserable decision discriminating against the city's residents. The entire culture and commerce issue should be left out of the political arena.
"Commerce is a bridging factor, which creates good conditions for a system of mutual relations regardless of one's religion, race or gender. The entire boycott issue dies the exact opposite, causing a rift instead of a bridge. Peace will come through cooperation in general and commerce in particular, not through imposing boycotts."
The conflict revolves around the Palestinians wanting the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, as part of their future state. Israel captured those areas, along with the Golan Heights, in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians and most of the international community consider Israel's West Bank settlements illegal or illegitimate.
"McDonald's has turned from a business into an organization with an anti- Israeli political agenda," said Yigal Delmonti, deputy director of the Council of Jewish Communities of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip, according to the report.
"We expect that Israeli citizens, especially those living in Judea and Samaria, will take this into account before entering the company's franchises."
