CONCERNS FOR U.S. BUSINESSES RELATED TO GAZA
How is the war in Gaza affecting U.S. businesses and what can they do?
The manner and nature in which the war in Gaza has developed is something no one would have expected 2-3 weeks ago. It has not only brought to light Israel’s susceptibility to attack, but also provided those supporting the Palestinian cause a platform from which to raise long standing issues.
This is not only impacting Israel and the Middle East, but is and will have a direct on American businesses.
How will this manifest itself with the work force?: As we have seen with the situation in Maine, violent action targeting civilians can lead to dramatic action. In addition to the broader impacts mentioned earlier, there are some real implications that need to be taken into consideration. They include property damage; disruptions that affect working environments (strikes/traffic); supply chain disruptions – either from abroad of in the U.S.; physical violence directed at staff or customers; and staff/customers afraid due to the uncertainty on the streets.
Additional impacts directed at specific companies: As for the impact on businesses, there are three lines of action taken to date by Hamas and other groups: Calls for protests, strikes and propaganda directed at U.S. brands.
Protests: There have been hundreds of protests in support of Palestinians and Israelis on a daily basis across the globe. And the momentum for these is not dying.
As for protests in the U.S., many are taking place at universities, with schools such as Columbia coming under attack for attempting to remain neutral. However, concerns continue that protests
will be high jacked by radical groups interested in promoting their hate filled narratives (white supremacists and/or antisemitic groups). Interestingly, law enforcement is also seeing groups attempt to exploit the popularity of these protests for their own causes. One such instance are the Occupy Wall Street protestors who have
coopted
the Gaza issue for themselves. Senior police officials have noted these protestors usually only garner about 50-100 supporters when they gather, while the one noted here was expected to draw between 1000-2000.
Protests: There have been hundreds of protests in support of Palestinians and Israelis on a daily basis across the globe. And the momentum for these is not dying.
As for protests in the U.S., many are taking place at universities, with schools such as Columbia coming under attack for attempting to remain neutral. However, concerns continue that protests
will be high jacked by radical groups interested in promoting their hate filled narratives (white supremacists and/or antisemitic groups). Interestingly, law enforcement is also seeing groups attempt to exploit the popularity of these protests for their own causes. One such instance are the Occupy Wall Street protestors who have
coopted
the Gaza issue for themselves. Senior police officials have noted these protestors usually only garner about 50-100 supporters when they gather, while the one noted here was expected to draw between 1000-2000.
Strikes: The following are examples of pro-Hamas groups calling for economic boycotts of U.S. companies supporting Israel.
Propaganda: There has been a major spike across social media of ads and videos portraying U.S. companies/brands as being not only pro- Israeli, but active in undermining the Palestinians. The most stark have been directed against McDonalds – attachments below. They show a young Palestinian man considering whether or not to eat a McDonald’s hamburger that is in an Israeli flag wrapper. After considering whether to eat the burger the man does but blood flows out of his mouth. This is one of many such videos making the rounds in the Middle East and elsewhere on TikTok.
What comes next? There are a number of triggers that could set off broader or more intense reactions in the U.S. These include the following:
- The IDF launches an invasion into Gaza – Which appears to have happened.
- Reporting indicates Hizballah, while reluctant to engage in a full-scale war with Israel, will if it believes Hamas’ survival is truly jeopardized.
- This will most certainly lead to much larger protests in the U.S., many of which could become violent.
- High-casualty incidents occur in the West Bank due to IDF miscalculation or attacks by Israeli settlers and/or Palestinian militants.
- This would also lead to much larger protests in the U.S.
- U.S. support for Israel ramps up beyond the current posturing level and/or becomes actively involved.
- Elements aligned with Hizballah/Iran/Hamas and/or anti-U.S. groups in the U.S. could be motivated/directed to undertake operations in the Homeland.
- Any clashes or actions defaming/involving the Dome of the Rock and/or al- Aqsa in Jerusalem will surely incite and enflame not only the situation inside Israel but will spread throughout the Muslim world and directly in the U.S leading to violent protests.