Wave of boycott of Israeli products in Malaysia, 100 KFC outlets announced to be closed

Last Updated on April 30, 2024 8:50 am

One of the fast food chain restaurants KFC has been forced to close its business in Malaysia in the face of support and anger towards Israel. KFC has been unfairly supporting Israel since the beginning of the boycott of Israeli products, which started in the past few months due to the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli issue in the country.

As a result, QSR Brands Malaysia Holdings Berhad announced the temporary closure of more than 100 KFC outlets nationwide after months of trying to keep them open.

QSR Brands, which operates the KFC fast-food chain franchise in Malaysia, reported The Star Online and New Straits Times, citing a report in a local Chinese daily. BTTV has confirmed that they have temporarily closed 108 outlets nationwide till April 27.

According to the report, the state of Kelantan has been hit the hardest by this boycott. About 80 percent or 21 outlets have been closed there. 15 outlets are closed in Johor state.

Meanwhile, apart from KFC, several other international brands such as Starbucks and McDonald’s have been boycotted due to their support for Israel amid the ongoing violence in Gaza.

Note that on October 7, 2023, Israel began to attack Palestine. Since then, KFC has been accused of helping them financially.

As of April 24, 2024, more than 35,000 people have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, according to the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Coordination and NBC. In addition to 34,262 Palestinians and 1,410 Israelis, the 97 journalists include 92 Palestinian journalists, 2 Israeli journalists and 3 Lebanese journalists. In addition, more than 179 employees, including 224 workers of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, were reportedly killed.