McDonald’s buys its Israeli restaurants from franchisee who sparked costly boycotts

By DEE-ANN DURBIN
AP Business Writer

McDonald’s is buying its restaurants in Israel from a longtime franchisee, hoping to reset sales that have slumped due to boycotts in the region. The Chicago-based burger giant said Friday it will buy Alonyal Limited, which owns and operates 225 restaurants in Israel. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. McDonald’s says it will operate the restaurants and retain more than 5,000 employees. Alonyal has operated McDonald’s in Israel for more than 30 years. But the franchisee sparked controversy when it announced in October that it was providing free meals for Israeli soldiers. That sparked boycotts across the Middle East and in Muslim-majority countries like Indonesia.