What Are Multinational Corporations With A Presence In Israel Doing In The Aftermath Of The Hamas Attack?


10/10/2023



Following a catastrophic weekend attack by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, global corporations have temporarily closed some businesses in Israel and urged workers to work from home.
 
Companies ranging from airlines to banks have taken the following steps:
 
TRAVEL
 
Several Asian, European, and American carriers have halted direct flights to Tel Aviv.
 
Delta Air Lines: 
 
The airline said it is continuing to watch events in the region and has decided to cancel Delta-operated flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 31.
 
El Al: 
 
The airline announced it would run more flights to bring reservists back to Israel to assist in the country's greatest mobilisation in history.
 
Royal Caribbean: 
 
The cruise ship company said it is altering several itineraries in the area and that impacted clients will be contacted immediately.
 
Carnival:
 
The cruise ship stated that it has changed its cruise itineraries and will no longer call in Israel.
 
MAJOR OIL COMPANIES
 
Chevron:
 
According to a company representative, Israel's energy ministry has asked the No. 2 US oil and gas producer to shut down the Tamar natural gas production off the country's northern shore.
 
BANKS
 
JPMorgan Chase & Co.:
 
According to Reuters, the Wall Street bank has requested more than 200 staff in Israel to work from home.
 
Goldman Sachs:
 
Employees at the bank's Tel Aviv branch have been ordered to work from home, according to a spokeswoman.
 
Bank of America:
 
According to an internal memo obtained by Reuters, the Tel Aviv office will remain closed for the time being, and the bank will continue to closely watch the local situation in the coming days.
 
Morgan Stanley :
 
According to Bloomberg News, the bank maintains an office in Israel and has instructed its employees to work from home for the foreseeable future.
 
LOGISTICS
 
Adani Ports Limited:
 
Adani Ports, owned by Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and operating the Haifa Port in northern Israel, said the port remained operational but that it was actively watching the situation and has a business continuity plan in place.
 
FedEx:
 
The worldwide transportation company has ceased operations in the country.
 
TECH
 
NVIDIA:
 
The world's top chipmaker for artificial intelligence and computer graphics announced the cancellation of an AI symposium slated for Tel Aviv next week. Jensen Huang, the CEO, was set to speak at the conference.
 
CONSUMER AND RETAIL
 
H&M:
 
According to the clothing firm, its local franchise partner has temporarily closed all of its stores in Israel.
 
Inditex SA:
 
"Our stores will remain temporarily closed and return timeframes will be extended by 30 days from their reopening," a message on Zara-owner Inditex's website in Israel showed.
The world's largest fashion retailer operates 84 franchised outlets in Israel.
 
PHARMA
 
Eli Lilly and Co:
 
The pharmaceutical company stated that it is closely following the evolving situation in Israel and will take all necessary precautions to safeguard the safety of its employees in and near the impacted locations.
 
It is also attempting to keep all vital operations running so that patients in the region may continue to receive Lilly drugs.
 
(Source:www.reuters.com)