French retail company Carrefour has announced that its entry into the Israeli market will not include the opening of branches in Judea and Samaria.
Shareholders, trade unions, pro-Palestinian organizations, and the BDS movement put heavy pressure on the chain at the last shareholder meeting and raised questions about the company's "involvement in settlement activity."
Carrefour General Secretary Laurent Vallée stated in response that "No Carrefour store will be present in the territories mentioned," and that "there is no complicity, and we are taking care to prevent any risk.”
The concerns centered on Carrefour's partnership with Israeli company Electra Consumer Products, which BDS activists have been lobbying the UN to add to a database on companies that operate in Judea and Samaria.
Carrefour opened 50 stores across Israel in May 2023, becoming the largest foreign grocery retailer in Israel. The opening ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Economy Minister Nir Barkat.