In a statement to Swisher Post, Woolworths categorically distanced itself from claims suggesting the multinational retailer was part and parcel of an industrial revolt against Israel.
Woolworths clarifies its stance on Israel boycott
On Thursday, Africa4Palestine, an activist group leading anti-Zionist campaigns on the continent, published a statement, claiming Woolworths CEO Roy Bagattini, had confirmed that the retailer no longer stocked products imported from Israel.
“We do not have any products on our shelves that are for sale that have been imported from Israel,” Bagattini supposedly said.
News of Woolworths’s apparent partisan stance sparked outrage on social media, drawing ire from both sides of the conflict.
However, on Friday, the multinational’s communications head, Rachel Alberts, clarified several claims made in media articles about Woolworths’s position on the Israel boycott.
“Media articles claiming that Woolworths supports an Israeli boycott are inaccurate and we want to set the record straight. Despite reports commending us for taking a pro-Palestinian or anti-Israeli position – we have not. Woolworths would like to explicitly affirm that we neither support nor boycott anyone. Woolworths has no political affiliations and does not support any political party, organisation or country,” Alberts wrote.
This marks the first time Woolworths has made a public statement addressing its links with Israel since boycotts against the retailer first sprung in 2014, led by BDS South Africa at the time.
Alberts stressed that Woolworths refuses to “add to the division and divisiveness.”
“Many of us have been deeply affected in various ways by the atrocities and death of innocent people we are witnessing on our screens. Intolerance is on the rise and, we as an organisation, cannot and will not add fuel to the fire, and will always continue to seek ways to bring people together,” she added.
Did Woolies remove Israeli products from its shelves?
The statement also addressed claims made by Africa4Palestine, suggesting Woolworths had deshelved products imported from Israel.
According to Alberts, a decision was made to “pre-emptively suspend the sale of the one product we had on our shelves that was imported from Israel,” after staff members and customers received “significant and credible threats.”
“Woolies always endeavours to do the right thing by our employees, our customers and society at large. We continue to do this as we navigate these very challenging times,” the statement read.
The latest data from Gaza suggests more than 11 100 Palestinians have died as a direct result of the ongoing war, since 7 October 2023, when Hamas led an incursion against Israeli festivalgoers.
Read Woolworths’s full statement below:
Details
Media articles claiming that Woolworths supports an Israeli boycott are inaccurate and we want to set the record straight. Despite reports commending us for taking a pro-Palestinian or anti-Israeli position – we have not. Woolworths would like to explicitly affirm that we neither support nor boycott anyone. Woolworths has no political affiliations and does not support any political party, organisation or country.
In a world that is already polarised and where misinformation, misunderstanding, and suffering are fuelling heightened emotion, we refuse to add to the division and divisiveness. Many of us have been deeply affected in various ways by the atrocities and death of innocent people we are witnessing on our screens. Intolerance is on the rise and, we as an organisation, cannot and will not add fuel to the fire, and will always continue to seek ways to bring people together.
As always, the safety and wellbeing of our employees and customers is our top priority. Given the significant and credible threats we have received, and in order to do our best to safeguard our employees and customers, we took the decision to pre-emptively suspend the sale of the one product we had on our shelves that was imported from Israel.
Woolies always endeavours to do the right thing by our employees, our customers and society at large. We continue to do this as we navigate these very challenging times.
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