Does Starbucks Support Israel or Palestine? [2024]

Starbucks Corporation is an American coffeehouse multinational company. It is one of the top coffee brands globally, and as of 2024 – has over 35,000 stores across 80 countries.

Now, why do you think we are talking about Starbucks? because in the midst of the Israel and Palestine war, it is one of the most controversial brands.

For a couple of weeks, we have been watching thousands boycotting Starbucks, and people claim that Starbucks is on Israel's side. But, is that the truth? Does Starbucks support Israel or Palestine? To know the truth, continue reading the article below.

Does Starbucks Support Israel or Palestine?

To be honest with you, there is no definite answer to this question. 

However, the Starbucks Union of Workers showed support towards Palestine, and soon after that, they faced a complaint from Starbucks.

Starbucks clearly mentioned that the Union's statement of ‘Solidarity with Palestine’ is their choice only, and Starbucks doesn’t support any of that.

Starbucks Official Statement on Israel-Palestine Conflict

Starbucks has not offered an official statement on the Israel-Palestine Conflict but on the controversies related to them and their workers union. 

After complaining against the workers union for supporting Palestine, Starbucks announced that – they are against terrorism, hate, and violence and also disagreed with the response by their workers. 

Boycott Movement Against Starbucks

There are multiple calls for a boycott against Starbucks globally, which has indeed greatly impacted Starbucks's profit rates for the past weeks.

The reason for the boycott is that purchasing anything from Starbucks is directly supporting Israel — because two of its biggest shareholders have invested in Israel and weapons manufacturing related to Israel. 

Starbucks & Israel

The relationship between Starbucks and Israel directly has not been something worth highlighting. It entered the Israeli market in 2001 and exited in 2003 for some other reasons.

However, its biggest private shareholder is a direct supporter of Zionism, the belief in protecting and supporting Jewish nations such as Israel.

Apart from that, Starbucks has clearly disagreed with its workers union – with the people who stood beside Palestine. 

Starbucks & Palestine

Although Starbucks didn’t have a say in this, its workers union, including 9000 Starbucks employees,  stood in solidarity with Palestinians.

This sparked a lot of controversies, and so, Starbucks sued the union for harassment of baristas and Intellectual Property theft. In return, the union accused Starbucks of unfair labor practices along with forbidding them of free speech rights.

Final Words 

Does Starbucks support Israel? Starbucks has never clearly shown interest in supporting any of the countries, but it did disagree with workers unions supporting Palestine, so it might mean it is supporting Israel secretly. 

Does Starbucks support Palestine? Starbucks closed all its official stores in Israel back in 2003, but it was not because of Palestine, and it also stood against its people who are pro-Palestine. 

Also Read-

Frequently Asked Questions