Members of the Co-operative Group have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a motion calling on the retailer to cease all trading with Israel, with 72.8 per cent supporting the proposal at the company's Annual General Meeting on 17 May.
The Individual Members' motion urged the Co-op Board to "demonstrate fairness and consistency in its ethical decision-making" by applying the same principles used when the retailer became the first UK supermarket to boycott Russian products following the invasion of Ukraine in March 2022.
The motion cited the International Court of Justice's ruling that Israel has a "plausible case to answer" for genocide and that Israeli laws in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 are "tantamount to apartheid." It also referenced estimates that at least 186,000 Gazans—mainly women and children—had died by July 2024 as a result of bombing, destruction of health facilities, and denial of essential aid.
However, the motion is advisory rather than binding, meaning the Board is not legally obligated to implement the changes but will consider the outcome when reviewing existing policies.
In its response to the motion, the Co-op Board acknowledged the complexity of international food supply chains, explaining that it is "very often impossible, impractical or unsafe to stop sourcing products entirely from specific countries." The Board noted that many spices, for example, are consolidated multiple times in the supply chain before being sourced, making it impossible to exclude products from certain countries.
The retailer clarified that whilst it stopped ranging obviously Russian products like Russian Standard Vodka following Ukraine's invasion, it did not cease all sourcing from Russia due to supply chain complexities.
The Co-op has already avoided sourcing products from Israeli settlements in Palestinian Occupied Territories since 2007 following a previous member motion, though it cannot confirm with certainty that none of its products contain consolidated ingredients from those settlements.
“Periodically we review our sourcing policy to ensure we get value for our members and that the places we source from align with our values and principles,” a Co-op spokesperson said in a statement to Asian Trader.
“Any changes to our sourcing policies need to be carefully considered. Our Board listens to the views of members and when taking decisions, will always act in the best interests of our Co-op and our wider membership.”
The Board indicated it is currently reviewing sourcing policies to ensure they reflect co-operative values and member views, with changes expected to be confirmed this summer following completion of the review.
The AGM vote coincides with heightened global scrutiny of Israel’s actions in Gaza. On 20 May, UK foreign secretary David Lammy announced the suspension of free trade negotiations with Israel and summoned the Israeli ambassador following what he described as a "monstrous" military escalation in Gaza.
Israeli strikes have killed hundreds of people in Gaza over the past week, according to medics, whilst Israel has blocked the entry of medical, food and fuel supplies since early March, prompting international warnings of looming famine.
Lammy condemned comments by Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich regarding the possible cleansing and destruction of Gaza, calling them "extremism" that was "dangerous," "repellent" and "monstrous." The UK has also imposed additional sanctions on West Bank settlers linked to violence against Palestinians.
