Co-op members vote to boycott Israel

Co-op members have voted to boycott Israel, with the supermarket potentially stopping sales of its goods as soon as the summer.

Three quarters of its voters backed a motion calling on the board to demonstrate “moral courage and leadership” by removing Israeli items from its shelves.

It comes after Co-op members compared Israel to Russia earlier this month, as they called on the convenience giant to boycott Israeli goods.

In response to the vote, the convenience giant said the motion was advisory but that it was reviewing its sourcing policy at its annual general meeting.

In a motion put forward in April, the supermarket’s members demanded to stop all trading with Israel, saying that it had “completely destroyed Gaza”.

They also highlighted that Co-op had been the first grocer to boycott Russian goods in March 2022, and called on the retailer to demonstrate the same “ethical principles and values” towards Israel.

In response to its request to be withdrawn, UK Lawyers for Israel said: “A non-binding motion to take all Israeli products off the shelves of Co-op stores contains false and defamatory statements, promotes racial hatred of Israelis and Jews, and should be rejected under the Co-op’s rules.

However, the motion was permitted with members invited to vote ahead of Co-op’s annual general meeting on 17 May.

The results showed the motion passed with 73% of voters in favour and 27% against.

A Co-op spokesman 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.”

He added: “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.”

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