Carrefour closes Middle East stores following boycott over Israel ties

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement called for a boycott of supermarket chain Carrefour in 2022 over company ties to illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. Carrefour profits plummeted in the last fiscal year after its Israeli subsidiary publicly supported soldiers involved in Israel’s ongoing genocide against Gaza. Last month, Carrefour announced that it would shutter operations in Bahrain and Kuwait.

“This announcement is further confirmation that broad and cumulative popular boycott campaigns can play a major role in inflicting heavy losses on companies complicit in the crimes of the occupation and making them pay the price for their complicity against our peoples.” BDS Kuwait

Carrefour

Carrefour, which is based in Massy, France, operates more than 14,000 stores in over 40 countries. The company has been sued in France over labor abuses in its tuna supply chain, accused of engendering a climate of fear among workers in Saudi Arabia and selling deforestation-tainted beef in Brazil.

Israeli Ties

In March 2022, Carrefour partnered with Electra Consumer Products and Yenot Bitan, both active in illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine. In 2023, Carrefour partnered with, among others, Juganu, which is also active in the settlements, and AI21 Labs, which boasts of its affiliations with the Israeli military. Carrefour also partners with Bank Hapoalim, which is on the United Nations’ list of corporations active in Israeli settlements. 

Gaza

In 2024, Carrefour Israel told the Jerusalem Post that it had sent over 6,000 packages of food package donations to soldiers engaged in bombing Gaza. This was during the unfolding genocide in Gaza, which has since resulted in the deaths of over 67,000 people including 18,000 children. Indeed one Carrefour supermarket even collected donations to buy cigarettes for Israeli soldiers. 

Boycott

BDS announced the #BoycottCarrefour campaign in December 2022, asking consumers to stop buying from Carrefour, voice their opinion on social media, and join letter-writing campaigns. Boycat and No Thanks – smart phone apps that allows buyers to identify Israeli connections by scanning barcodes of consumer goods – have helped grow the movement, as have hashtags like #BoycottOccupationGoods and #DidYouFundGenocideToday.

Verdict

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel’s military occupation and presence in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and East Jerusalem were illegal. Multiple reports that Israel’s bombing of Gaza constituted a genocide helped widen the boycott. In 2024, Carrefour’s profits plunged over 55 percent from €1.66 billion in 2023 to €723 million.

Victory

On September 14, 2025, Carrefour took to Instagram to announce it had shut its stores in Bahrain. Two days later, Carrefour publicized the closure of its Kuwaiti operations in another Instagram post. The closures mark Carrefour’s latest retreat from Middle Eastern markets, following earlier withdrawals from Oman in January and Jordan in November 2024.

Company Response 

“Dear customers, as of September 14, 2025, Carrefour will cease operations in Bahrain. On behalf of Carrefour management and employees, we extend our sincere gratitude for your continuous support.” – Carrefour Bahrain
 
“Dear Customers, As of September 16, 2025, Carrefour will cease operations in Kuwait. On behalf of Carrefour management and employees, we extend our sincere gratitude for your continuous support.” – Carrefour Kuwait 

This is #89 in our series of Instagram infographics on resistance against corporate power.

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