UK’s largest mutual cuts ties with West Bank settlements

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The UK’s Co-operative Group announced that it would no longer do business with four Israeli companies with ties to and operations in the West Bank.

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The companies, Agrexco, Arava Export Growers, Adafresh and Mehadrin, account for some L350,000 of trade yearly with the Co-operative Group, the fifth-largest food retailer in the UK.

The Co-operative Group is the first major European supermarket to end trade with companies exporting produce from Israeli settlements.

The Co-operative Group stresses that this position “is not a boycott of Israeli businesses”, and that it would continue to work with some 20 Israeli suppliers that do not source from Israeli settlements. The company further announced that it will “continue to actively work to increase trade links with Palestinian businesses”.

The food retailer clarified that the "position is not a boycott of Israeli businesses, and we continue to have supply agreements with some [20] Israeli suppliers that do not source from the settlements." Additionally, it added that it will "continue to actively work to increase trade links with Palestinian businesses."

The Co-operative Group is owned by more than six million consumers and is committed to social and sustainability goals which are clarified in its Ethical Plan. According to the company, “we believe that we should offer our customers both value and values...Our members set a social and campaigning agenda that we support.”

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