An Italian supermarket chain said it was stopping selling Israeli products in solidarity with Palestinians affected by war and famine in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
The decision announced yesterday is the first of its kind for a major Italian food retailer. It means "Coop Alleanza 3.0" will remove Israeli peanuts, tahini sauce and "SodaStream" carbonated water from its shelves, the company said in a statement.
In a further sign of support for the people of Gaza, supermarkets have also started selling the pro-Palestinian carbonated drink "Gaza Cola" (Gaza Cola), the text also says.
"COOP Aleanza 3.0" is the largest cooperative in the "COOP Italia" network, which includes nearly 350 stores in eight Italian regions - from Friuli-Venezia Giulia in the north to Puglia in the south.
The cooperative said it "cannot remain indifferent to the ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip and joins in calling for an immediate end to military operations".
"COOP" supermarket chains in Florence and the central regions of Tuscany, Lazio and Umbria also no longer carry Israeli products, their spokesmen said, while stressing that this did not amount to an official boycott of Israeli goods.