Does Subway Support Israel?

Noa Cohen Nov 14, 2024 3 min read

Short answer: As of July 2026, Subway is not an Israeli company and has no operating restaurants in Israel. It entered the market in 1992, peaked at 23 branches, and closed them all in 2004 after the local franchisee died. Later attempts to return in 2009 and 2014 never reopened stores. Subway is privately held by the U.S. firm Roark Capital, which completed its purchase in April 2024, and no reputable source documents a corporate donation to Israel, a political statement on the Israel/Palestine conflict, or a listing on the official BDS boycott list. The "boycott Subway" talk is viral social-media rumor, not documented corporate conduct.

What Subway (the restaurant chain) has actually said and done

1992: Subway enters Israel for the first time, per Wikipedia's Subway Israel entry. Not every location was certified kosher, but all of them refrained from pork products, and some Israeli branches were kosher.
2004: Subway closes all 23 of its Israeli branches after the original franchisee dies, according to Wikipedia's Subway Israel entry.
May 2009: Investor Gur Gal buys Israeli franchise rights and announces plans for up to 130 branches, according to Wikipedia's Subway Israel entry. The locations never opened, and the dispute was settled in arbitration.
June 2014: It is announced again that Subway is looking to return to Israel and seeking franchisees, per Wikipedia's Subway Israel entry. No reopening followed.
April 30, 2024: The U.S. private-equity firm Roark Capital completes its acquisition of Subway, ending nearly six decades of founder-family ownership (the DeLuca and Buck families via Doctor's Associates). Subway's own press release and Nation's Restaurant News confirm the chain is now wholly Roark-owned.
2024-2025: Amid the Gaza war, viral social posts urge boycotting Subway as pro-Israel or Israeli. Fact-checks note that Subway is not an Israeli company, holds no Israeli operations, and does not appear on the official BDS Movement boycott guide.

Where the boycott talk comes from

Subway's ties to Israel are historical, not current. The brand ran restaurants in Israel from 1992 to 2004. Per Wikipedia's Subway Israel entry, not all of those locations were certified kosher, though all of them refrained from pork and some Israeli branches were kosher. The chain reached 23 stores at its peak before all of them closed when the franchisee died. A more detailed picture of what a kosher Subway involves comes from the United States, not Israel: covering kosher Subway restaurants in the U.S., JTA reported in 2009 that those locations dropped ham and bacon, used soy-based cheese and imitation crab, kept separate fish and meat equipment, employed a full-time kosher supervisor, and closed on Shabbat. Those specifics describe the American kosher Subway locations that JTA called the largest U.S. kosher restaurant chain, not the shuttered Israeli stores.

Two later efforts to re-enter the country, an investor's 2009 plan for as many as 130 branches and a fresh 2014 search for franchisees, never produced open stores. That leaves Subway with no Israeli presence for roughly two decades. Ownership is American: the chain was founded in Connecticut and, per Subway's own April 30, 2024 press release and Nation's Restaurant News, is now wholly owned by the Atlanta-based private-equity firm Roark Capital.

The "does Subway support Israel" question is driven by 2024-2025 social-media boycott chatter tied to the Gaza war. Reputable fact-checks and the official BDS Movement boycott guide do not list Subway as a target, and no reputable source documents any Subway corporate donation to Israel or any company statement taking a side on the Israel/Palestine conflict.

The bottom line

Subway is an American-owned chain (Roark Capital since 2024) with no restaurants in Israel today. Its only real Israel tie is a defunct 1992 to 2004 franchise, some of whose branches were kosher and all of which avoided pork. It is not on the official BDS list, has made no documented donation to Israel, and has issued no public political stance on the conflict. The boycott claims are unverified social-media rumor, not evidence of corporate conduct in either direction.

Wear your own answer

If where a sandwich chain stands feels uncertain, your own wardrobe never has to be. At Shop Israel, our Support Israel collection lets you say plainly what a corporation will not: tees, hats, and jewelry designed and stocked to stand with Israel, with no franchise disputes or private-equity ownership required. Whatever a fast-food brand does or does not do, your closet can carry the message every day.

Last updated July 2026. We update these profiles as the record changes.