A non-binding motion to take all Israeli products off the shelves of Co-Op stores contains false and defamatory statements, promotes racial hatred of Israelis and Jews, and should be rejected under the Co-Op’s rules.
UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) has written to the Co-Op Group Secretary explaining why Motion 13, listed for consideration at the Co-Op’s AGM on 17 May 2025, should be withdrawn by the Co-Op Council. If it is wrongly allowed to proceed and is passed, it should be treated as invalid and disregarded.
False Statements
- The motion claims that by July 2024 at least 186,000 Gazans, mainly women and children, had died as a result of the bombing, destruction of health facilities and denial of essential aid.,” citing the Lancet. The item in the Lancet – a letter which was not peer reviewed – does not say 186,000 Gazans had died. It suggests speculatively that 186,000 may eventually die indirectly as a result of the conflict. This projection lacks any solid foundation and is implausible.
- The motion’s claim that Gazans killed were mainly women and children is false. Even the Hamas Ministry of Health now says less than 50% of the “martyrs” were women and children. Moreover, “children” include teenagers up to 18 and many male teenagers are recruited by Hamas and other terrorist organisations. 65% of deaths of those aged 13 to 17 were male; many of them probably combatants.
- A substantial proportion, probably nearing half of the Gazans killed in the war were participating in armed combat with the Israeli forces. The ratio of civilians to combatants is far lower than normal in urban armed conflict around the world.
- In addition, a significant number of Gazans have probably been killed by Palestinian fire, including rockets targeting Israeli communities that fell short in Gaza.
- The motion compares Israel’s efforts to remove Hamas and recover the hostages with Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. This ignores the fact that the war in Gaza started after the barbaric attack on Israel by Hamas and other armed groups on 7 October 2023, including murdering, raping, burning alive and kidnapping residents of peaceful communities in the south of Israel, and threats to repeat this again and again.
- The motion falsely states that “The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel has a ‘plausible case to answer’ for genocide”, when the court made no such ruling.
- The allegations that “Israel has invaded the sovereign nations of Lebanon and Syria” are also misleading. Israel has responded to bombardment of its communities from these countries.
The Co-Op’s Rule 32.5 says that its Council is required to “refuse to grant its approval for a motion for a resolution which it considers … may result in publicity which could adversely impact or diminish confidence in the Society…..; or … is defamatory”.
UKLFI’s letter contends that motion 13 is both defamatory of Israel, Israelis and Jews associated with Israel, and would adversely impact or diminish confidence in the Co-Op Group. Its Council should therefore discontinue its approval of this motion.
Jonathan Turner, UKLFI Chief Executive, said: “Ceasing all trade with Israel, as proposed in the motion, while continuing to trade with many other countries involved in armed conflicts or engaging in very serious violations of human rights, would constitute racist discrimination against Israel. Passing this motion and giving effect to it would endorse its false and defamatory allegations against Israel, inciting hatred against Israeli and Jews who are associated with the only Jewish State.”