McDonald's says it is buying back all of its franchises in Israel

The franchisee that owns and operates 225 McDonald's restaurants in Israel is now selling them back to the corporation, it announced Thursday.

"For more than 30 years, Alonyal Limited has been proud to bring the Golden Arches to Israel and serve our communities," Alonyal Limited CEO Omri Padan said. "We've grown the brand to be the leading and most successful restaurant chain in Israel and are grateful to our management, employees, suppliers, and customers who made this possible."

There have been widespread boycotts of the company after McDonald's Israel donated meals to the Israeli military. Other American brands, such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Starbucks have also faced boycotts, particularly in Jordan, which has a large Palestinian population.

Alonyal Limited's restaurants employ more than 5,000 employees who will be able to retain their jobs, McDonald's said.

"We thank Alonyal Limited for building the McDonald's business and brand in Israel over the past 30 years," said Jo Sempels, President of International Developmental Licensed Markets at McDonald's Corporation. "McDonald's remains committed to the Israeli market and to ensuring a positive employee and customer experience in the market going forward."

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