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Woolworths has pulled Israeli-imported pearl couscous from its shelves, but has emphasised that the move was preemptive due to threats it received and not because it supported a boycott of the country’s products or was pro-Palestinian.
"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 preemptively suspend the sale of the one product we had on our shelves that was imported from Israel," the retailer said in a statement on Friday.
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 explicitlyaffirm 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 preemptively 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.
