Israel-Hamas war provokes division among Americans, impacts businesses

NEW YORK (NewsNation) — The Israel-Hamas war has sparked intense divisions nationwide between supporters of the Jewish state and the innocent Palestinians caught in the conflict.

In New York City, one café owner’s open support for Israel nearly spelled the demise of his business when his workers quit in protest.

The owner of Caffe Aronne on the upper east side of Manhattan was concerned his business would buckle financially after some of his employees quit as a show of support for Palestinians.

The workers claimed the owner’s Israeli flag and displayed pictures of Jewish hostages were bad for business. But word spread about the employee walkout and instead of the café buckling, it’s now bustling.

The owner, Aaron Dahan, said that close to 10 of his employees quit, warning him that his support for Israel would backfire and anger people.

The former pro-Palestentian employees didn’t like the Israeli flag on full display, the posters of the missing hostages and the idea of starting a fundraiser for the Israeli Red Cross.

“There was concern on the employees’ side that maybe it wasn’t going to look good,” Dahan said.

He was worried he would have to shut down until they hired new workers. However, he was astonished to see how quickly people showed up to volunteer at the café while others stood and waited to buy coffee — many of the people in line were not Jewish.

“We came out here to show support and solidarity with Israel, and we’re just really proud of him,” Julie Kopel, who knows Dahan, said.

“We all showed up to support the release of the hostages, and the café and the owner and Israel,” said Hillary Pearson, who was standing in the line to help.

Dahan lost a cousin when Hamas attacked Israel last month, and he explained that’s why he’s so passionate about helping his fellow Israelis. But at the same time, Dahan has condemned the hatred of anyone and said everyone is welcomed at his café.

The ongoing war between Hamas and Israel in the Middle East has provoked both antisemitism and anti-Muslim vandalism against businesses across the country for those who choose to publicly show their support for either side. The rebuke can be swift.

Ayat, a pro-Palestinian restaurant in Brooklyn, was forced to disconnect its phone after the owner said they received nonstop threatening voicemails.

An ice cream shop in San Francisco was left with smashed windows and the words “free Palestine” sprayed in grafitti. The owner of the shop is Jewish.

In Fresno, California, cameras captured one man stoning a bakery, leaving behind a handwritten message threatening Jewish businesses.

Meanwhile, corporations like Disney, Google, Starbucks and McDonald’s have all faced backlash for donating millions to Israeli charities with many accusing them of taking sides.

NewsNation affiliate PIX11 contributed to this report.