A news anchor in Turkey was fired from her job after leaving a Starbucks coffee cup on her desk.
Meltem Günay, a respected 45-year-old news anchor with TGRT Haber in Turkey, was terminated following leaving the coffee cup on her desk, with the Istanbul-based media company expressing a commitment to respecting the sensitivities of the Turkish people regarding Gaza.
Per News.com.au, the Seattle-based coffee giant is considered to be "pro-Israel".
As reported by the New York Post, the company stated: "We do not approve of this action of the presenter and director, whose employment contracts were terminated, and we strongly condemn it."
The anchor and director were found to have "acted contrary to this principle" and were terminated for just cause, according to the official statement.
The backlash against Starbucks in Turkey has been escalating in recent weeks, with coffee drinkers participating in a nationwide boycott, per BBC News. Pro-Palestinian sympathizers accuse the Seattle-based company of bias toward Israel, leading to protests outside Starbucks locations and calls for customers to shun the coffee giant.
Turkey, a key NATO member, had a historical alliance with Israel during periods of secularist governance. However, under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ankara has adopted a more adversarial stance towards Israel, particularly in the aftermath of its military campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Erdoğan, in office since 2014, publicly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "the butcher of Gaza" and denounced Israel as a "terror state" following the deaths of thousands of Palestinians in the Hamas-ruled territory.
Meanwhile, Starbucks is facing criticism in the United States, where unionized workers posted messages on social media condemning Israel and expressing sympathy for the Palestinians. Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan addressed the controversy in a letter, attributing the challenges to "misrepresentation on social media of what we stand for."
Although Narasimhan did not explicitly reference the Israel-Hamas conflict, Starbucks has been caught up in controversy, with talks of boycotts, a decline in stock value, and instances of vandalism at some of its 16,000-plus U.S. locations.
In a notable incident, a Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle temporarily closed after pro-Palestinian protesters damaged the premises, leaving messages such as "Free Gaza" and "Free Palestine" spray-painted on the walls.
"Cities around the world - including here in North America - have seen escalating protests. Many of our stores have experienced incidents of vandalism. We see protestors influenced by misrepresentation on social media of what we stand for," Narasimhan said.
"Our stance is clear. We stand for humanity," he added.
Günay isn't the first to lose her job due to the conflict, as Mia Khalifa was fired from PlayBoy shortly after Hamas launched their attacks on October 7.
Khalifa's vocal support for Hamas on social media sparked significant backlash due to the divisive nature of the conflict.
In one tweet, she stated: "If you can look at the situation in Palestine and not be on the side of Palestinians, then you are on the wrong side of apartheid, and history will show that in Time." Another tweet likened an image of Hamas militants to a "Renaissance painting."
The controversy extended to pop culture figures, with Khalifa taking a jab at Kylie Jenner for her (now removed) pro-Israel post, urging true journalism in discussions about geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
TMZ reported that Playboy, in an email communication to subscribers, announced the termination of its relationship with Mia Khalifa, including the deletion of her Playboy channel on their creator platform.
The email condemned Khalifa's comments as "disgusting and reprehensible," celebrating attacks on Israel and the loss of innocent lives.