![A Co-op store is seen on May 19, 2025 in London, England. Members of the Co-Op supermarket chain in the UK have voted during the organization's AGM in favor of an advisory motion to remove Israeli goods from store shelves. [Peter Nicholls/Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/GettyImages-2215354094.jpg?fit=920%2C614&ssl=1)
Co-op, one of the UK’s largest supermarket brands, could soon become the first major British retailer to boycott all Israeli goods, after 73 per cent of its members voted in favour of a motion urging the group to end trade with Israel over its genocide in Gaza.
The motion, passed at the Co-op’s Annual General Meeting on Saturday, received overwhelming support, with 73 per cent voting in favour. It calls on the board to show “moral courage and leadership” by ending all trade with Israel in response to what members described as the state’s “complete destruction” of Gaza.
While the motion is non-binding, a Co-op spokesperson confirmed that the retailer is reviewing its sourcing policies, stating: “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.”
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The review is expected to conclude by the end of the summer, raising the possibility that Israeli goods may be removed from Co-op shelves within months.
Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), which backed the motion, welcomed the vote as a reflection of widespread grassroots solidarity with Palestine. “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,” said PSC spokesperson Lewis Backon. “The Co-op must now listen to its members and implement the motion by taking all Israeli goods off the shelves.”
The Co-op’s ethical stance has long distinguished it from other UK supermarkets. It was the first UK retailer to boycott goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, a policy it adopted in 2007. Members behind the new motion highlighted the Co-op’s previous decision to halt the sale of Russian products in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine and demanded consistency with the same “ethical principles and values” in relation to Israel.
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The vote comes amid intensifying scrutiny of corporate complicity in Israel’s assault on Gaza, where over 53,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, the overwhelming majority of whom are women and children. Co-op members argued that continued trade with Israel contradicts the group’s professed commitment to human rights and social justice.
Notably, the motion proceeded despite pressure from UK Lawyers for Israel, a notorious legal outlet who sought its withdrawal, accusing Co-op of promoting “racial hatred” and containing “false and defamatory statements.” However, Co-op allowed members to vote on the measure, affirming its internal democratic process.
Although the vote does not bind the board to act, many members and campaigners argue that failure to implement the decision would severely undermine the Co-op’s credibility as a values-driven organisation.