Our Israel boycott and support of Palestinian goods

At Dublin Food Co-op we have the ability to do more than just buy our food. As members we have the right and the responsibility to make choices about who we support by who we choose to trade with.

As co-op members we have the power to make decisions and implement things we feel are the right thing to do, ethically and morally. One of these decisions our membership has taken was to boycott Israeli goods, until such a time as the state of Israel changes their stance on certain issues. This decision was taken at an SGM in 2010, and remains in place to this day. The following is a section of the minutes of that SGM:

— notes from minutes—

A motion was brought to a Special General Meeting called by members in 2010.

Larry Gordon proposed the motion on the basis of the Co-op’s tradition for support human rights internationally. There was a vigorous debate, with some members calling for more time to discuss the motion. There wasn’t consensus on the day, but it was brought to vote and over 75% of members voted in favour of the proposal.

Motion calling for a boycott of all Israeli products at DFC’s premises
This boycott shall remain in force until such time as the state of Israel agrees:

1. a) to allow humanitarian-aid and unarmed peace activists entry into Palestine without the threat of violence and death from Israeli armed forces and

1. b) agrees to honour UN resolutions regarding the unlawful occupation of Palestine in the so called Israeli ‘settlements’. The boycott also includes Dublin Food Co-op’s artisan food producer members and organic farmers who occasionally sell at the co-op, fruit and vegetables imported from Israel.

For the motion: 50 Against: 6

—ends—

The topic was brought back to a number of General Meetings in the future, with some members seeking to replace the boycott with a ‘positive discrimination’ policy whereby the Co-op favoured countries with strong human rights records, and avoided suppliers in countries with poor human rights records.

None of these proposals were passed, and as of 2021, the current Dublin Food Co-op Purchasing Policy reflects the boycott agreed in 2010. Where relevant we make it clear to our suppliers that we do not wish to purchase goods from Israel. On occasion we will receive Israeli goods by accident, when a supplier sends them as a substitute when something we’ve ordered has become unavailable. In these cases they are returned whenever possible, or given away for free in the case of perishable goods. 

In addition to boycotting Israeli goods, we actively support sustainable Palestinian suppliers where we can. We have a direct relationship with Zaytoun, a UK based social enterprise set up in 2004, with the goal of enabling Palestinian farmers to support themselves and their communities by providing a channel to sell what they grow.