Campaign call for Co-operative Boycott of Israeli Goods

Pro-Palestinian activists will be aware that the consumer Boycott Israeli Goods have been heavily involved with a campaign to get the Co-operative Group to cease all trade agreements with Agrexco, as the Co-operative are currently claiming that they do not to stock settlement goods in their food stores throughout the United Kingdom.

Co-operative Group members have joined forces with the Boycott Israeli Goods and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and are calling for the national Co-operative Group to take a stronger stand, by calling for campaigners to press the company to adopt a full Israeli boycott, at a national share holders meeting in November.

Co-operative group members, staff and activists are currently attending and asking questions at regional meetings across the North West, all of which lead up to the national half yearly meeting on November 12th in Manchester, where they have been circulating statements from the Co-operative on Agrexco.

The statement, which reveals the Co-operatives own confused and inconsistent position on ethics - revealed a contradiction to their own policy on human rights, with campaigners believing that the statement from the Co-operative exposed the fact that the company is feeling under pressure about their position. Palestinian activists in the recent Leeds regional meeting received a round of applause from Co-operative members for challenging the official company position.

Meanwhile employees for the company have failed to respond to a dossier of information that was provided by the Boycott Israeli Goods and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign on Agrexco, which was supported by letters from War on Want, the International Committee Against House Demolitions and the Jordan Valley Solidarity, which was submitted to them on July 2010.

However, campaigners are certain that they have a lot of support amongst Co-operative group member delegates, who will attend the upcoming Manchester national share holders meeting and that they will be equipped with the arguments in order to support a drive, which could potentially see the Co-operative group ceasing all ties with Israeli producers.

To insure this goes ahead, the Boycott Israeli Goods, Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Co-operative Group members will be lobbying the Co-operative Groups national share holders members meeting, which will be taking place on Friday 12th November at New Century House in Manchester.

The meeting will be starting at 12 noon, where campaigners will be leafleting all delegates and will provide each one with a summary of the dossier, which the company has failed to act upon, with an update which directly rebuts the current position the Co-operative holds on trade with Agrexco and other Israeli companies.

Campaigners have welcomed the call as they “believe this is a very winnable goal, partly because the Co-operative's own policies are so good on human rights - we just need them to put their own policies into practice! - So now is the time to ratchet up the pressure.”

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