By Munir K. Nasser
Chief Correspondent, Washington, DC
Albawaba.com
The State Department expressed regret that some individuals in the Middle East are boycotting American products in response to the conceived US bias towards Israel.
A State Department official told Albawaba.com that boycotting US products and services “in no way helps the Palestinians or the peace process, and we ask that people would reconsider and refrain from it.”
The official, who asked to remain anonymous, said that press reports from the region indicate that a lot of the effect the boycott has is on companies or services or restaurants that are owned by citizens of those countries. He added that the boycott involves workers or citizens in those countries, and harms the interest of those citizens.
The official was commenting on press reports from the region saying that McDonald's, among other American fast food chains in Saudi Arabia, has been suffering a slump following calls from leading Gulf clerics for a boycott of US products in protest of Washington's support for Israel. Boycott campaigns in Qatar and the UAE distributed a list of American products that carries the message: "Each dollar spent buying an American product is transformed into a bullet to kill our brothers in Palestine.”
When asked whether the US government sees such boycotts hurting US businesses in the Middle East, the State Department official said “it does not help the Palestinians, and it does not help to achieve peace and we don’t think it is in anybody’s interest to have such a boycott.”
In response to a question on how the US government is going to counter such boycott moves, the official said this is something they are aware of and they are watching. He declined, however, to specify any steps his government may consider taking at this time.
Commenting on McDonald’s move to donate money to Palestinian hospitals during Ramadan, the official said McDonald’s and other companies are frequently involved in charitable activities within their countries and regions, and that is their decision.
McDonald’s franchise in Saudi Arabia is owned by Riyadh International Catering Corporation, a 100 percent Saudi national company. The company opened its first restaurant in the kingdom in December 1993, and now owns 32 restaurants with plans for continued expansion. Today there are 13 restaurants with 370 employees serving customers daily in Saudi Arabia.
According to McDonald’s sources, through the efforts of the president of Riyadh International, Prince Mishaal Bin Khalid Bin Fahd Al Faisal Al Saud, more than 50 percent of the products used are manufactured locally and in the gulf regions. McDonald’s says this effort has improved the local industries and national economy.
There are two restaurants in the Holy City of Mecca that are the only restaurants in the world that serve exclusively to Muslim customers. These restaurants are also the only two that are fully staffed with Muslim employees, from the service crew to the level of restaurant management.
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