The petition to de-shelve Israeli products is dividing our local community and weakening the River Valley Co-op. A local food co-op is an inappropriate venue for the Palestinian-Israeli or any other international conflict. Not only does the petition not belong in our local supermarket; it interferes with the core mission of River Valley that “supports local farmers and our shared community.”

The co-op plays a key role in revitalizing local agriculture and ensuring our food supply, especially in the face of climate change. We, along with the co-op leadership, recommend that member-owners vote “no” in the advisory poll by Oct. 30 and allow our beloved co-op to return to its core mission.

River Valley Co-op members and shoppers are a diverse community with different views. All deserve to feel safe in accordance with River Valley’s commitment to a shopping environment free from “gender, social, racial, political, or religious discrimination,” as stated in the co-op’s bylaws.

The language of the petition is very divisive and is hurtful to members of our community. No one should feel threatened or uncomfortable when shopping in their community supermarket. Members and community shoppers should be able to decide for themselves what to purchase, according to their own values and affiliations, or independently of such concerns.

The petition’s call to boycott Israeli products expresses a simplistic and one-sided worldview in which Israel, its citizens, and its allies, are held solely accountable for the conflict and for all violence in the region. Glaringly absent is any mention of the horrific actions of Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, which precipitated the war in Gaza.

Also missing is the fact that many hostages taken from Israel, including Israelis, Americans, and citizens of other countries, remain captive in Gaza. This petition targets Israeli civil society rather than its government, treating all Israelis as if they were collectively responsible for their government’s actions. Moreover, it does not appear to recognize Israel’s right to exist.

Many of us have lost friends and loved ones in the conflict; many of us have deep ties to the region. We are all devastated by the ensuing war and the death of all innocent victims. We reject the false binary that being pro-Israeli means being anti-Palestinian or that being pro-Palestinian means being anti-Israeli. Those who seek peace and justice for all peoples of the region should be both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian — with a desire for the well-being and dignity of all.

Like the members of the River Valley Co-op board, we strive for a world in which “all people have the right to live in a peaceful society free from violence, hate and discrimination in all forms including the basis of religion, ethnicity, or origin,” according to the co-op board’s Statement for Peace on July 30, 2024.

The petition to boycott Israeli products does not reflect these shared values or aspirations. If we cannot see the humanity of the other, there cannot be a resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

De-shelving the few Israeli products that many choose to buy at the co-op will not contribute to peace or justice in the region. There are other ways to make an impact. We invite proponents of peace and justice for all to support the many organizations on the ground and here in the United States working with Palestinians, Jews, and others to end the conflict and to bring peace, security, and self-determination to all who call Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza home.

We want a future in which the shared humanity of Palestinians and Israelis and their respective rights to self-determination are mutually recognized.

Let us stay “wild about local” (the co-op’s slogan) and strengthen our community by providing a welcoming environment for all who shop at there. Let us focus on what we share and what unites us.

Please join us and vote “no” on the petition to remove Israeli products from the River Valley Co-op.

Jennifer Luddy of Florence, and Joyce Samet of Northampton are member-owners of the River Valley Co-op.