Co-op members vote to boycott Israeli goods
Co-op is reviewing its sourcing policy after its members voted in favour of a motion for the retailer to stop selling products from Israel.
The non-binding motion was passed at the convenience giant’s AGM on 17 May. Nearly three quarters (73%) of members supported the motion, which urged the board to demonstrate “moral courage and leadership” by removing Israeli goods from the shelves.
Although the motion is advisory, the board confirmed it is actively reviewing its sourcing policies, to “ensure that they reflect both our values and principles and the views of our members, which they have made clear today”.
It is understood that, if implemented, the boycott could take effect as early as this summer.
The motion was first submitted last month by Co-op members, who pointed to the retailer’s stance in 2022, when it became the first UK supermarket to boycott Russian products following the invasion of Ukraine.
Members have urged the business to adopt a consistent approach in light of the ongoing war in Gaza, which the motion said had “completely destroyed” the region.
Campaign group Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), which supported the motion, hailed the vote’s result as a “landmark moment” and called on the retailer to take action.
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A spokesperson for PSC, Lewis Backon, said: “The Co-op AGM vote shows ordinary people in this country are committed to the cause of justice and freedom for Palestine in their everyday lives and refuse to support Israel’s apartheid economy.
“The Co-op must now listen to its members and implement the motion by taking all Israeli goods off the shelves.”
However, the motion has sparked sharp criticism from UK Lawyers for Israel, who wrote to the Co-op opposing the motion and claiming it included “false and defamatory statements”. It accused it of promoting “racial hatred of Israelis and Jews”.
The Co-op already maintains a sourcing policy which excludes goods from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories – a position it has held since 2007.
A Co-op spokesperson said: “At our AGM on May 17, 2025, a members’ motion on trading with Israel has passed.
“Whilst the motion is advisory, we are currently reviewing our sourcing policies, which we do from time to time. This is to ensure they reflect both our values and principles and the views of our members, which they have made clear today.
“We expect our review on the sourcing policy to complete towards the end of the summer.”
25 Comments. Leave new
A simple, thank you coop. You will be remembered.
Democratic decision by Coop members. Brave I think. People who keep trotting out tired excuses for Israel then hide behind taunts of anti-Semitism to anyone that disagrees with them is just ignorance. I fully intend to keep shopping at Coop.
I will also no longer be shopping at Coop.
Was there a 100 per cent turn out? I doubt it
I have instructed my organisation to cease sourcing and logistics from the Co Op
Will will not be using CWS wholesale. Our staff will no longer be using Coop business cards
It is simple. A case of noisy, aggressive bullying by people who do not care about anyone, unless Jews are the perceived perpetrators. Millions die in Sudan, no one gives a monkies
Monkies? Ahem plural is Monkey’s. And please this is in protest to Israeli actions not Jewish actions, state not people.
Idiots. Probably Labour voters.
It’s the end of shopping in the coop for me. Have been a faithful member for many years. Disgusting behaviour.
Of course its a about politics! It’s about anti semistism! Disgusting to think the war isn’t justified! If Hamas (designated terrorist organisation by most the world) laid down arms, released hostages and, there would be everlasting peace in seconds… they don’t want to share Israel, they want to conquer it.. its all very simple. Peace is only desired by Israel. COOP and other are being exploited or hoodwinked…or acting intensionally antisemitic.
You’re a part of the problem, Nathan.
The irony of shouting antisemitism at anyone who is disgusted by genocide. The people you’re going around calling antisemitic are the same people who would have made a stand against the treatment of the jews by nazi Germany. The world is disgusted by Israel.
I agree – and will not be buying from our local coop again
That’s the end of my membership with Co op. How antisemitic
Goodbye Vivien, I hope you find a supermarket that fits more closely with your unsympathetic worldview. Going around calling people who don’t want to see kids killed every day antisemitic will not turn out well for israel or for jews in general. Failling to oppose the actions of Israel in Gaza is, on the contrary, Islamophobic, as I’m sure you are.
It’s not anti-Semitic to call out genocide and the indiscriminant killing of civilians. I deplore what happened on 07/10, but the Israeli response cannot be justified. Israelis grabbing land is not acceptable either, as this is one of the root causes of the conflict.
Do Israelis have such short memories that they suffered a holocaust, and are now creating their own. Were some of their organisations not classed as terrorists when bombing UK personnel in Egypt whilst our forces were fighting Rommel.
No innocents here apart from the citizens. Time to sit around a table and seeking a peaceful solution
Yes, I believe Israel has the right to defend itself but there has been vengeance in its response to October7th. However, the Bible tells us that the Jews are God’s Chosen People for all time: His “Peculiar Treasure” and Christians cannot deny this. Israel is now a secular state and will face God’s judgement at the end of Time as will all nations and individuals. Jew hatred is inspired by Satan and God said to Abraham “Those who curse you, I will curse and those who bless you I will bless.
Interesting how food supermarkets like to take political sides, I thought they just sold food? Wonder how this will go down in places like Edgware? Still it is good to know that the Co-op executives were not too shocked by the events of 7 October 2023, I would hate to think they were traumatised by the events of that day.
It’s about time that supermarkets stopped selling goods from genocidal states. In doing so, it does support the government of such countries, and all of their actions.
Israel has to accept that you cannot continue to kill innocent children and women, and still be allowed to do business across the world. Let’s call this what it is. I’m not leftist, nor a liberal woke; and, I’m most certainly not right wing. I’m simply against the murder of innocent children.
this isn’t about politics, its about humanity – maybe you should have some
1) Whatever my poiltical, or humanitarian, opinions are, I don;t want a supermarket trying to tell me what I should believe. I make my own mind up. 2) Re Palestine/Israel, the Arabs have shown far less intention of co-operating with Israel, in a 2-State solution or any other arrangement, than the Israelis have. The whole mess up in the region can be traced back to 1913 and the UK’s rebuttal of Turkish requests for assistance, driving the Ottomans into an alliance with Germany. Otherwise Tirkey would have been on our side, WW1 might have ended in 1917, no Russian Revolution (just a gradual transition to democracy), maybe no Hitler, no WW2. The Ottoman Empire would have lasted into the 1950s, when we could have had an orderly transition to independence for all nations there, inc the Palestinians and Israelis. Instead we promised the land to both Arabs (for their manpower against Turkey) and the Jews (for financing the War). Then of course the Holocaust. Given that hash-up, the best that could be done was a 2-State solution, as proposed by the UN 1948. The Jews accepted that, the Arabs did not. I still believe the on;y hope fpor the area is an externally, UN, imposed division, ony npow with a 1km wide DMZ between the two, patrolled by ba UN peacekeeping force for decades to come. Maybe one day we can drop the extremists on both sodes, no more 7 Octobers, and the 2 peoples can accept each other’s countries right to exist.
I don’t tend to pay that much attention to the views of those who riddle commentary with typos and misinformation.
If you don’t want your supermarket to have any values then shop elsewhere.
Simple then, shop elsewhere
As for the rest of us we’re heartened to see the Co-op taking a moral stance against genocide
If only the people selling food were as impartial as we would like them to be. Unfortunately many actively support political organisations. Flagship businesses like M&S shouldnt really have any interest in Israel but it does and actively supports it
This isn’t about politics, its about humanity and maybe if you had any, you wouldn’t feel the need to leave this comment.
Any resolution of this dreadful situation requires a dialogue which does not appear to be happening with the long entrenched uncompromising views held on both sides governed by the impossible to forget most terrible loss of life past and present.
If an eye for an eye is the only way forward for the combatants then the agony will only end in an increasing death toll and any claim of victory will be hollow in the aftermath because as the saying goes history here is likely to repeat itself.
Protest and sanction are understandable for those who desire peace, but any chance of a real peace will only be gained by resolute statesmen prepared to talk and indeed compromise…sadly for those under fire no real sign of that yet.
If any individual thinks it’s okay for children to be killed, including those under the age of 1, then you need to self reflect and think of what kind of a human being you are, and if you have children, what type of children they will be when they grow up. The world has been exposed, the ugly hearted people came out and spoke their nonsense trying to justify it by any means necessary. Unfortunately under NO circumstance should a baby under the age of 1 be killed for political reasons.