Boycotting the boycotters: Hampstead Jews vow to avoid new Co-op over chain's Israel stance

“A considerable number of our Brethren live in this area and may prefer to boycott the shop if they were made aware of this.”

Adrian Wayne, who lives locally, told the JC: “I telephoned their customer service department to enquire if the Co-op still boycotts Israeli products.

“The answer was that ‘they boycott products from conflict areas.’ I took this as a yes. Fellow Zionists (people who believe in the development and protection of a Jewish nation in what is Israel) that means all of ‘us’, should make a point of remembering this and avoid using any Co-op whatsoever.”

According to its website, The Co-operative Group does not trade in goods from places "where there is a broad international consensus that the status of a designated region or state is illegal", specifically citing "Israeli settlements in the Palestinian Occupied Territories".

It says: “On this basis, we do not source any produce or own-brand products from the Israeli settlements.

"In April 2012, our Board determined that, going forward, we will additionally no longer engage with any supplier of produce known to be sourcing from the Israeli settlements.

“We can categorically state that this position does not constitute a boycott of Israeli businesses. We remain committed to sourcing produce from and trading with Israeli suppliers that do not source from the settlements.”