GEM, as it is known for short, will be having its grand opening on 3 July, a long- anticipated event to be attended by heads-of-state from around the world.
Even as the grassroots boycott movement gains momentum in their own countries, those officials will find a Starbucks franchise ready to greet them in Egypt, in the heart of the Arab world.
What a disgrace!
Starbucks’ profits plunged by half in the second quarter of this year, falling to $348 million, down from $772 million in the same period last year, according to recently released figures. Is the GEM franchise meant to help the multinational recoup its massive financial loss? Who is responsible for this shameful decision, devoid of all national or humanitarian sentiment and offensive to the overwhelming opinion of the global public who will be the museum’s visitors in the coming years? I believe an Egyptian company is managing the public areas inside the museum and in charge of leasing commercial spaces. Has that company, which I will leave unnamed, lost all sense of national pride and moral duty? Is profit the sole determinant of its decisions? Surely its directors must have watched the appalling scenes of the atrocities being committed by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank. They must realise that the franchise fees, taxes, and business activities of Starbucks, McDonald’s, Pepsi, Pizza Hut, KFC and other such companies operating in Israel help foot the bill for the horrors that being live streamed onto people’s cell phones around the world. These are the images that have led the global public to boycott those companies.
I find it hard to believe that people from around the world will be flocking to our great museum only to find us embracing those fast-food giants that continue to support Israel, whose officials are wanted by the International Criminal Court for, among other things, the “crime of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.”
What prospective gain enticed an Egyptian firm to cut a deal with Starbucks when the international boycott of Starbucks products is growing stronger by the day. If there are no profits to be had from a company at the top of the international boycott list, then who are we trying to please by hosting it in one of our most prestigious tourist sites?
* A version of this article appears in print in the 15 May, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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