Media: global brands are reacting “sluggishly” to the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict
Major global corporations are in no hurry to declare their position regarding the worsening of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, reports Al Jazeera citing its own research.
After the start of the special operation in Ukraine, as the publication notes, many large Western companies condemned it and announced plans to stop working in Russia. Most of them openly sided with Kyiv.
“By comparison, the response of big business to the conflict between Israel and Hamas has been sluggish. Many well-known brands that loudly announced their position on the conflict in Ukraine refused to comment on the conflict in the Middle East,” the publication writes.
And those that have released official statements on this topic, in particular, MicrosoftGoogle, Hewlett Packard, JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, supported Israel and condemned Hamas, whose attack on the Jewish state has killed at least 1,300 people.
However, large Western corporations did not comment on Israel’s response – massive attacks on the Gaza Strip, which have already killed about 1,800 people. The UN and some organizations have already warned of a looming humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip amid the blockade and Israel’s order to evacuate 1.1 million Palestinians from the enclave within 24 hours.
For companies that like to raise the issue of social justice, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a sensitive and difficult topic, marketing experts say. In particular, Rahat Kapur, editor of the industry publication Campaign Asia, noted the complex historical component and many nuances that surround the conflict, which forces companies not to react to what is happening. According to him, many want to issue statements where they support victims on both sides, but such steps often lead to the opposite effect, because some consumers will still be unhappy.
He also emphasized that open support for Hamas is extremely risky for companies in Western countries, many of which consider the organization terrorist. France has even banned all pro-Palestinian protests, and Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Britain have issued warnings or restricted the work of pro-Palestinian groups.
On October 7, Hamas began military operations against Israel. The militants attacked the army’s border units and entered Israeli populated areas, taking military and civilian hostages. The Israel Defense Forces responded by launching Operation Iron Swords. Israel announced that the country had entered a state of war.
