---
title: "Reuters: McDonald’s Provides Free Meals for Israeli Soldiers, Leaving Franchises Divided"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/b5a69158-a21f-4d03-9031-817c5fcdcdfe
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/reuters-mcdonalds-provides-free-meals-for-israeli-soldiers-leaving-franchises-divided-2724007
category: "Restaurants"
industry: "Restaurants"
published: 2023-10-20T20:15:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:06:46.939Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/ac23a9792ba7845e8c6a48d8c6a946461173.jpg
---

# Reuters: McDonald’s Provides Free Meals for Israeli Soldiers, Leaving Franchises Divided

**TL;DR:** McDonald's Israel provided thousands of free meals to Israeli soldiers, sparking a response from other franchise locations in the Middle East. These locations clarified that the decision was made independently by the Israeli franchise and not by the global brand.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2023-10-20. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/reuters-mcdonalds-provides-free-meals-for-israeli-soldiers-leaving-franchises-divided-2724007).*

## Story

In a now-private Instagram post from McDonald’s Israel, the franchise posted that it has given thousands of free meals to Israel Defense Forces personnel. According to Reuters, McDonald’s Israel stated that it donated “to all those who are involved in the defence [sic] of the state, hospitals, and surrounding areas.”

While McDonald’s is a global chain, the franchise locations are owned locally and operated independently. Franchisees were eager to clarify this distinction following McDonald’s Israel’s actions.

"In regard to the news that McDonald's in Israel was donating meals, we affirm that it was an individual decision on their part," McDonald's franchise in Saudi Arabia said in a statement. "Neither global McDonald's nor us nor any other country had a role or relationship with that decision, neither directly nor indirectly.”

Franchisees in Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates issued statements dissociating themselves from the Israeli franchise as well. Many of these franchisees also showed support for sending aid to Gaza.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- McDonald's (company)
- Saudi Arabia (location)
- United Arab Emirates (location)
- Reuters (company)
- Kuwait (location)
- Turkey (location)
- Jordan (location)
- Oman (location)
- free meals (topic)
- global brand (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/reuters-mcdonalds-provides-free-meals-for-israeli-soldiers-leaving-franchises-divided-2724007). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/b5a69158-a21f-4d03-9031-817c5fcdcdfe).