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\u201cWe do not want our money to contribute to more fighting,\u201d says 14-year-old Jana Abdullah.<\/p>\n
In a convenience store in Bahrain, 14-year-old Jana Abdullah carries a tablet as she shops, checking a list<\/a> of Western brands to avoid as Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza.<\/p>\n Jana and her 10-year-old brother, Ali, used to eat at McDonald\u2019s nearly daily but they are among many across the Middle East now boycotting<\/a> products they believe support Israel.<\/p>\n With the campaign spreading on social media including TikTok, children as well as their parents are shunning major brands such as Starbucks, KFC and Carrefour.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have started to boycott all products that support Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians,\u201d Jana tells AFP<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not want our money to contribute to more fighting,\u201d she added, searching for local replacements.<\/p>\n The movement has gradually swelled<\/a> since Hamas launched a surprise offensive<\/a> on Israel on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping more than 200, according to Israeli officials.<\/p>\n Since then, Israel has relentlessly bombarded Gaza and sent in ground troops in an assault that killed more than 9,700 people, mostly women and children.<\/p>\n Across the region, Arabs angered by the Israeli attacks have turned against brands associated with Israel\u2019s allies, notably the United States.<\/p>\n The boycott has been accompanied by calls for Arab states to cut ties with Israel, while pro-Palestinian rallies<\/a> have taken place weekly in major capitals.<\/p>\n Turkiye and Jordan have recalled<\/a> ambassadors<\/a> to Israel, Saudi Arabia announced a pause in normalisation talks and Bahrain\u2019s parliament said trade ties had been halted<\/a>, although there was no government confirmation.<\/p>\n Led by tech-savvy youth, the boycott campaign includes browser extensions, dedicated websites and smartphone apps that identify proscribed products.<\/p>\n One Google Chrome extension, PalestinePact, blurs items advertised online if they are included in the list.<\/p>\n More traditional methods are also in use. Beside a four-lane highway in Kuwait City, giant billboards show images of blood-stained children in bandages.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you kill a Palestinian today?\u201d the grim slogan asks, jabbing at consumers who are still using the targeted goods.<\/p>\n According to Mishari al-Ibrahim, a Kuwaiti activist, Western support for Israel\u2019s Gaza offensive \u201cstrengthened the spread of the boycott in Kuwait\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt created a mental image among Kuwaitis that the West\u2019s slogans and what it says about human rights do not apply to us,\u201d Ibrahim said.<\/p>\n McDonald\u2019s has found itself a prime target. Last month, the US fast food chain\u2019s Israel franchise announced it had given thousands of free meals to the Israeli army, sparking uproar in the region.<\/p>\n McDonald\u2019s Kuwait, a separate entity, responded by pledging more than $160,000 to relief efforts in Gaza and said it \u201cstands with Palestine\u201d in a statement on social media.<\/p>\n McDonald\u2019s Qatar also pledged $275,000 to relief efforts in Gaza and stressed in a statement last month that it was separate from the Israeli branches.<\/p>\n In Qatar, some Western outlets have been forced to close after their owners shared pro-Israel content online.<\/p>\n The Doha branches of Pura Vida Miami, a US cafe, and French pastry company Maitre Choux both shut in October.<\/p>\n In Egypt, a home-grown soda brand long ignored by much of the population has come into vogue because of the boycott.<\/p>\n Spiro Spathis, founded in 1920, said it recently received more than 15,000 applications in a hiring round prompted by the growing demand.<\/p>\nGrim billboards<\/h2>\n
\u2018Pay for bullets\u2019<\/h2>\n