The French supermarket retail giant Carrefour announced it will close all its operations in Oman this month, just two months after the same decision was made in Jordan.
Carrefour, one of the leading supermarkets in the Gulf region, made the announcement on Facebook and thanked customers for their “continued support throughout the decades”.
While the retailer gave no reason regarding its decision to halt operations in the Gulf state, Carrefour has been named on the official Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement’s lists, citing their alleged support for Israel.
According to BDS, one of the retail group’s branches in Israel gifted Israeli soldiers personal packages during the ongoing war on Gaza, which has killed over 45,880 Palestinians.
BDS also claimed in 2022 that the retail group had announced a franchise partnership with two companies “active in the illegal Israeli settlement enterprise”.
The boycott movement also called on consumers who support the rights of Palestinians to boycott the Carrefour Group until it ends its franchise agreement with Israel’s Electra Consumer Products and its subsidiary Yenot Bitant and to halt the sale of products from illegal Israeli settlements in their stores.
“Until Carrefour takes concrete steps to end its complicity with Israeli apartheid and illegal military occupation and respects the rights of the Palestinian people, the campaign against the company will continue to grow and gain strength,” BDS stated.
The BDS National Committee said it “salutes its allies in Oman and the Omani people who contributed to this achievement” following the announcement.
“Let this success be a driving force to hold more companies accountable for their complicity in Israeli crimes, including genocide, against Palestinians,” they continued.
Despite the retailer having over 3,400 stores worldwide, many customers have stopped shopping at Carrefour stores since Israel launched its brutal war on Gaza in October 2023.
Just a few months earlier, Carrefour stopped all its business in Jordan, which again pro-Palestine activists praised.
BDS hailed the decision as a victory at the time: “BDS works! Carrefour’s partner in most of the Arab World, the Majid Al Futtaim Group, has responded to BDS Jordan’s boycott pressure by ending all business with the French retailer in Jordan.”
The New Arab reached out to Carrefour for comment but received no response at the time of publication.
Other brands included on the BDS list include Siemens, SodaStream, Expedia, Disney, Airbnb, Teva and Pizza Hut.
Israel has levelled entire neighbourhoods in Gaza, causing 90 percent of the enclave’s population to be displaced.
