While Israel’s massacres in Gaza and the West Bank continue, solidarity for Palestinians around the world is growing.
This is true even in countries like Italy, where the government maintains critical support for Tel Aviv. Yet, over recent months, unprecedented actions at the local level have begun to shake the “status quo.”
On 24 June, Coop Alleanza 3.0 — Italy’s largest consumers’ cooperative with over 400 stores and 2.2 million members — decided to remove some Israeli products from its shelves, citing the genocide in Gaza.
On the same day, the UK-based Co-Op also stopped sourcing from Israel and other countries accused of rights violations.
Consumers’ pressure and corporate ethics
“It is a clear sign of the power we have as citizens and consumers,” a representative of the Italian campaign, No to Israeli Products in Large-Scale Retail, who wished to remain anonymous, told The New Arab.
The campaign, which brings together more than 160 civil society groups across five Italian regions, began in April 2024. It was inspired by the International Court of Justice’s pronouncement that Israel had violated the Genocide Convention for the first time.
After months of pressuring retailers’ management and collecting signatures, the campaign called on companies to respect their codes of ethics.
Co-op members say no to Israeli products [Rete No Israeli products to GDO]
Despite strong support from consumers and activists across Italy, Coop Alleanza 3.0’s decision has provoked harsh reactions.
Right-wing daily Il Foglio compared the campaign’s efforts to “Nazi-era boycotts.” More recently, Confindustria, the Italian Chamber of Industry — which includes Leonardo, one of Israel’s largest military suppliers in Europe — condemned the decision to withdraw Israeli products as “masked anti-Semitism.”
Then, on 30 June, Coop Italia issued a statement saying that “boycotting is up to consumers, not enterprises,” creating a perception of conflict within the cooperative system.
“The irony, however, is that neither the campaign nor Coop Alleanza 3.0’s press statement mentioned the word ‘boycotting’,” the anonymous representative added.
“We have always asked the Coop network to be coherent with article 5.3 of its code of ethics, which requires all suppliers to respect human rights, international law, and environmental sustainability,” she explained.
This demand aligns with the latest report by Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Palestine, who stated that ethical “business choices” are a company’s responsibility.
Both Coop Alleanza 3.0 and Coop Italia did not respond to The New Arab’s request for comment. However, as confirmed by The New Arab, stores managed by Coop Alleanza 3.0 — as well as Unicoop Tirreno and Florence, whose managers took similar steps but without public statements — have effectively removed the mentioned Israeli products, including a tahini sauce, peanuts, and Sodastream items.
Other Co-ops, despite growing pressure from members and trade unions, have not yet taken any action, reflecting the diversity within the cooperative movement.
That said, what could potentially unite the cooperatives is another form of solidarity with Palestine: Gaza Cola.
In the same statement, Coop Alleanza 3.0 announced the introduction of Gaza Cola, whose proceeds are financing the reconstruction of the Al Karama hospital in Gaza.
Currently available only online, sources involved with Gaza Cola Italy told The New Arab that several Coop divisions across Italy have already contacted them.
“We are struggling to keep up with the growing demand,” they said.
‘BDS’ in Italy is no longer taboo
“Boycotts, as well as calls for divestment and sanctions, are indeed powerful tools in the hands of consumers, trade unions, and civil society,” A.*, a member of BDS Italy, told The New Arab.
Although not always visible at the forefront, BDS Italy actively supported the campaign that led to Coop Alleanza 3.0’s decision.
“We mobilised our network, supported local groups, and relaunched the campaign through our official channels,” A. explained.
He noted that over the past two years, there has been “an overwhelming increase in solidarity with Palestine in Italy.”
Before 7 October 2023, the Italian BDS movement — which marked its 20th anniversary on 4 July — had only 12 local groups. Now, there are 20.
“Social media has been key to this change and impact,” A. said, noting that the Instagram page doubled its followers, 70% of whom are women under 40 years old.
“Finally, we see that our work is paying off,” as shown by the growing number of “apartheid-free” zones — around 500 across Italy — and coordinated campaigns against military cooperation with Israel at the European level.
Among recent successes were actions in June by dockworkers in the coastal cities of Genoa and Marseille, who refused “to be complicit in genocide” and blocked shipments of military material bound for Israel.
Still, campaigning for Palestinian rights faces challenges in a country whose government continues to sell weapons to Israel — including nuclear materials, as recently revealed by the independent magazine Altreconomia — despite official denials. Pro-Zionist groups also remain very active.
BDS members and other activists have been targeted with defamation campaigns, including the sharing of activists’ and journalists’ names and pictures on social media.
Emilia-Romagna’s Governor, Michele De Pascale, was called a “useless idiot” by such groups after cutting institutional ties with Israel.
Local politics takes a stand
Similar insults and accusations of being ‘pro-Hamas’ have reached Lorenzo Falchi, mayor of Sesto Fiorentino, a town in the metropolitan area of Florence.
After deciding to suspend the sale of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products made by Israeli companies in municipal pharmacies, Lorenzo was invited to explain his position on a well-known Italian TV show, where he found it difficult to speak.
“Delegitimisation and baseless insults have become the norm,” he told The New Arab, stressing that his actions are rooted in a long-standing commitment to Palestine, including past cultural and health programmes funded by the municipality.
The decision to stop importing Israeli pharmaceutical products — the first institutional measure of its kind in Italy — was legally grounded.
“We asked ourselves: what can we do, at our level, against decades of Israeli occupation?” said Lorenzo.
Pro-Palestine demonstration in Sesto Fiorentino
Mayor Falchi attending a torchlight procession in Sesto Fiorentino commemorating Palestinians killed in Gaza
Along with his team, he found a way to challenge “the economy of genocide,” echoing Francesca Albanese, who, despite a global outcry following US sanctions against her, has not yet received public support from the Italian government.
“Genocide pays off,” Lorenzo added, pointing to the silence of politicians and the media as evidence of economic interests.
Despite the backlash, public support for Lorenzo has been largely positive, with several municipalities contacting his office to explore similar actions.
“Palestine is showing the world that public awareness is evolving faster than politics or the media,” he concluded.
“Even if local initiatives are small, we cannot afford to stay silent. Change starts here.”
*At the request of the interviewees, their names remain anonymous
Stefano Nanni is a freelance writer with a background in the aid sector. Based in Amman, he has lived in Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan for the past 12 years. He is also the author of a book about the Iraqi poet Latif Al Saadi
Follow him on Instagram: @stef.nanni