In May 2024, Carrefour assured its shareholders that it had not opened stores in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT). However, evidence shows that Carrefour has at least one open branch in the Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut — an Israeli settlement classified by the United Nations and even the European Union as partially located on occupied Palestinian territory, a war crime under international law.
Following the International Court of Justice’s historic ruling in July 2024, finding Israel guilty of apartheid against Palestinians and maintaining an illegal occupation and annexation of Palestinian territory, ending the complicity of states, corporations and institutions with apartheid Israel is not just a moral obligation but also a definitive legal one.
Last year, a concerned investor raised questions about the company’s involvement in illegal Israeli settlements, highlighting the risks of complicity in such a war crime. In response, Carrefour’s CEO reiterated the company’s supposed stance of political “neutrality,” claiming no stores would be opened in the OPT. Yet, just a month later, Carrefour’s Israeli partner boldly contradicted this by announcing that carrefour "is already selling its products all over Israel,” which includes the OPT as shown in the company’s promotional material, and intends to expand “everywhere.”
The BDS movement has called for boycotting the French group until it ends its complicity in and profiting from Israel’s illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land, through its partnership with Electra Consumer Products and its subsidiary Yenot Bitan. It has also called on the French group to Stop all sales of products from illegal Israeli settlements in the thousands of supermarkets and convenience stores it operates around the world.