Jewish residents in a northwest London suburb have vowed to boycott a Co-Op Food branch because of its boycott of Israeli products made in Judea and Samaria, the London-based Jewish Chronicle reported on Thursday.
Co-op Food, part of the Co-operative Group, is due to open a branch in the Hampstead Garden suburb next week.
Local Jews told the Jewish Chronicle that many people might not be aware of the chain's policy on Israeli goods.
"This organization [the Co-operative Group] is an active supporter of the anti-Israel boycott," said local resident Anthony Goldwater.
A considerable number of Jews live in the Hampstead area and "may prefer to boycott the shop if they were made aware of this," he added.
Adrian Wayne, who also lives in Hampstead, told the Jewish Chronicle: "I telephoned their customer service department to inquire if the Co-op still boycotts Israeli products. The answer was that 'they boycott products from conflict areas.' I took this as a yes. Fellow Zionists, meaning all of us, should make a point of remembering this and avoid using any Co-op whatsoever."
According to its website, The Co-operative Group does not trade in goods from places "where there is a broad international consensus that the status of a designated region or state is illegal," specifically citing "Israeli settlements in the Palestinian occupied territories."
The website continues: "While there are many disputed territories throughout the world, there are currently only two examples of such illegal areas: the Israeli settlements in the Palestinian occupied territories and the Moroccan settlements in Western Sahara. On this basis, we do not source any produce or own-brand products from the Israeli settlements.
"In April 2012, our Board determined that, going forward, we will additionally no longer engage with any supplier of produce known to be sourcing from the Israeli settlements.
"We can categorically state that this position does not constitute a boycott of Israeli businesses. We remain committed to sourcing produce from and trading with Israeli suppliers that do not source from the settlements," the group said.
