Jewish Settlers Call For Boycott Of Burger King -- Chain's Canceling Of Franchise At West Bank Eatery Fuels Ire

JERUSALEM - Angry Israeli settlers today called for a worldwide boycott of Burger King restaurants after the chain canceled its franchise in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank. The settlers also demanded a halt to Israel-Palestinian peace talks over the issue.

A five-week campaign by Arab Americans to shut down a Burger King outlet in the settlement of Ma'ale Adumin paid off when the Miami-based corporation told its Israeli franchisee that it could no longer sell Burger King products at a food court there because it was occupied territory and not part of sovereign Israel.

"For us, this is a commercial decision. We do not get involved in political debates," said a Burger King spokeswoman from Miami.

But the July opening of a Burger King counter in a mall in the Ma'ale Adumin settlement thrust the corporation into the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Ma'ale Adumin, a sprawling neighborhood outside Jerusalem, was founded on West Bank land conquered by Israel during the 1967 war with Jordan and other Arab countries.

About 1 million Palestinians live in the West Bank, which the Israeli military controlled exclusively until the implementation of the 1993 Oslo peace accords. The peace agreement is based on the principle of returning occupied territory to the Palestinians in exchange for security for the Jewish state. Since its occupation of the West Bank, Israel has built dozens of Jewish settlements in the disputed territory.

The campaign to shut down the Burger King counter in the Ma'ale Adumin mall began on the Internet with a plea by two activists, said Hussein Ibish, a spokesman for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee in Washington. Support widened as 10 Arab and Muslim American groups backed the cause.

Last month, the American-Arab committee asked the Cairo-based Arab League to lend its support. The Arab League planned to discuss a boycott of Burger King stores at its Sept. 12 meeting, Ibish said.

Jewish organizations were lobbying Burger King officials to resist the pressure.

Burger King, which opened the first of its 46 outlets in Israel in August 1994, also has 84 outlets in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Burger King Corporation issued an announcement yesterday, saying it had ordered its independent franchisee, Rikamor, to stop selling its products at the West Bank mall.

"The reasons for this action are a breach of its franchise contract and misrepresentation," a statement said.

"Specifically, Rikamor falsely informed Burger King that the food court would be located in Israel. It had been clearly understood between the two companies that Burger King would not approve Rikamor opening restaurants in the West Bank at this sensitive time in the peace process," it said.