Pro-Palestinian activists targeted Israeli businesses. What happened next?

Anti-Israel boycott activists celebrated on social media last week, convinced they had brought one of America’s most successful Israeli-American culinary groups to its knees. CookNSolo, the Philadelphia restaurant group founded by prominent Israeli-American chef Michael Solomonov and his business partner Steve Cook, announced that it would close six locations belonging to two of its fast-casual chains. Pro-Palestinian activists, who have targeted the group since the beginning of the Gaza war, quickly claimed responsibility. An Instagram account devoted specifically to boycotting the company declared victory and argued that its campaign was the real reason for the decline in sales. Other users insisted that the closures reflected consumers’ refusal to support “Zionist establishments,” rather than weakening demand for fast food, and accused news organizations of concealing the boycott’s effect. The reality described by the owners, however, is considerably more complicated.