One of the largest supermarket chains in the UK has announced its decision to cease sourcing products and services from Israel, citing concerns over human rights abuses and violations of international law.

The Co-op has announced a [1] decision to prohibit the sale of Israeli products in its stores as part of a broader initiative to promote peace. The supermarket will remove various items, including carrots, from its shelves. This move is part of a commitment to cease sourcing from nations involved in widely recognized human rights abuses and breaches of international law. In May, the Co-op endorsed a motion to boycott Israeli products, garnering nearly three-quarters of the [2] vote in favor as stated in my previous article. The Co-op Group members were presented with the proposal as a reaction to Israel's ongoing conflict in Gaza and the blockade on the Palestinian territory, which is obstructing vital humanitarian assistance from getting to civilians.

This decision follows increasing pressure from its membership base, which the company states has called on them to actively 'advocate and build peace.' The store's decision to block assessments from certain countries is informed by evaluations from various organizations, which have reported widespread human rights abuses and violations of international law in these nations. Israel [3] is one of 17 countries from which the Co-op has decided to halt sourcing. Debbie White who [4] is the Chairperson of the Co-op Group, said, “We are committed, where we can, to removing products and ingredients from our shelves which are sourced from those countries where the international consensus demonstrates there is not alignment with what happens in those countries and our co-operative values and principles.”

Israeli produce, including avocados, peppers, herbs, and dates, is prevalent in UK supermarkets. However, agricultural export companies from Israel, such as [5] Mehadrin are known to operate farms and packing facilities in contested settlements located in the occupied West Bank. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice [6] reaffirmed that all Israeli settlements are deemed illegal and classified the appropriation of Palestinian resources, such as water, as a war crime. Consequently, all nations are urged to refrain from providing any support or assistance to Israel in light of these breaches of international law.

The Palestinian Solidarity Campaign or PSC has praised the Co-ops decision to boycott Israeli goods which has [7] been spearheading a “Don’t Buy Apartheid” campaign in 2025. This initiative calls on individuals, businesses, restaurants, and venues to boycott Israeli fresh produce and all Coca-Cola brands in opposition to their ties to Israel's actions against Palestinians. Ben Jamal who is [8] the Director of Palestinian Solidarity Campaign said [9] in a press release, “This is a seismic victory for the Palestinian solidarity movement in this country, which demands that the government, institutions and corporations end all economic, political and military support for the state of Israel, which is conducting a live streamed genocide in Gaza after decades of military occupation and imposing a system of apartheid on Palestinians,” said Jamal. “The Co-op, as befits its history, has shown great moral courage and ethical principle in deciding that it cannot ignore voices from the British public calling out Israel’s gross human rights abuses and violations of international law and even more importantly, it cannot economically support that regime through doing business in Israel. This beacon of leadership must now be taken up by all other supermarket chains which continue to sell Israeli goods, despite knowing they are supporting its war crimes.”