REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Mcdonald's Indonesia issued a statement trying to calm anger over the policy of its franchise partner in Israel in assisting accupation forces which is currently massacering Gazans in the Palestine. However, in an official statement released to media crews, McDonald's Indonesia did not mention Palestinian or Gaza at all.

Instead of using the two significant words, McDonald's Indonesia prefers to use the word Middle East to refer to the "fighting" that is taking place between Israel and Hamas. McDonald's Indonesia insists it is not related to McDonald's Israel. McDonald's Indonesia said it had no affiliation with McDonald's decisions and operations in other countries.

“PT Rekso Nasional Food is very concerned to see the recent escalation of conflict in the Middle East. As a franchisee who has a role in developing McDonald's network in Indonesia, for us community is at the heart of the company's business. Our sympathies go out to the victims, their families, and the affected communities,” McDonald's Indonesia Associate Director of Communications Meta Rostiawati said in a statement on Friday (20/10/2023).

In the statement, Meta said in connection with the latest news about McDonald's confirmed PT Rekso Nasional Food is a national private company. The company is wholly owned by Indonesian entrepreneurs with more than 16,000 local employees. “McDonald's Indonesia is an entity that operates independently and is not affiliated with McDonald's operations or decisions in other countries, including McDonald's Israel,” he said.