In May 2025, the CEO of the Carrefour group, Mr Alexandre Bompard, stated, as he had in 2023 and 2024, that “there have never been and there will never be any Carrefour stores in occupied territory”. The seven organisations that exposed the group’s dangerous liaisons with Israeli settlement activity in a report of the same name in 2022 – l’Association France Palestine Solidarité, Al Haq, CGT, Fédération CGT du commerce, Ligue des droits de l’Homme, Plateforme des ONG françaises pour la Palestine, Union syndicale Solidaires – are today publishing a news brief that contradicts these statements.
>> Download the 2026 news brief
Providing a detailed overview of Carrefour’s operations in the region, the news brief highlights that, as of March 2026, two stores operated by Global Retail C.I. Ltd, a Carrefour franchisee, are located in Israeli settlements under the Carrefour brand (one in Maccabim in Modi’in and the other in Neve Ya’akov). Six other stores are still operating under their original brand names in the settlements of Ariel, Alfei Menashe, Mod’in Illit, Kokhav Ya’akov and Ma’ale Adumim.
Furthermore, the Israeli group Yenot Bitan/Shuk Mehadrin, a franchise partner of Carrefour, owns and operates an online delivery platform that serves all the major settlements in East Jerusalem, the settlement blocs in the Modi’in Illit and Givat Ze’ev areas, and the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim.
The news brief also provides data on tenders for new construction and property plans approved in 2025 in the settlements where Carrefour stores and franchisees are located, thereby highlighting how the commercial activities of this French company support the development of these illegal entities.
Finally, in recent years, amid the genocidal war in Gaza and the explosion of settlement activity in the West Bank, Carrefour has stepped up its operations in Israel by opening its first hypermarkets with extensive publicity, signalling, at the very least, a clear disregard for international law and human rights.
“LDH denounces the practices of companies that offer their services and operations in Israeli
settlements, thereby enabling and facilitating this illegal settlement entreprise, both directly and indirectly, while profiting from it. By economically boosting Israeli settlements, Carrefour
participates in the creation, maintenance, and expansion of these settlements in the illegally occupied Palestinian territory and contributes to the forced displacement of the Palestinian population.”
Nathalie Tehio, President of the Ligue of Human Rights
The Carrefour Group is, however, bound by a duty of due diligence under the French law of March 27, 2017, which requires it to ensure that its activities do not infringe upon human rights. Moreover, since Carrefour began its commercial activities linked to Israeli settlements in 2022, the obligations incumbent upon actors aiding the unlawful situation created by Israel have been clarified by the Under embargo until 29 April 2026, 6 am advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of 19 July 2024, which enjoins third States “to take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that assist in the maintenance of [this] illegal situation”. As demonstrated by the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, who cites Carrefour in her 2025 report on corporate complicity, there is no doubt
that recent judicial decisions impose a prima facie duty on companies not to participate in activities linked to the occupation of Palestine.
“Israel’s settlement policy is a war crime. The ICJ reaffirmed this in July 2024 and called for its dismantlement. The UN General Assembly has urged states to take measures against companies that contribute to the perpetuation of this illegal situation. Since Carrefour persists in its complicity in a war crime, France must take measures to compel it to cease without further delay. This is an obligation, not a political choice.” Anne Tuaillon, president of the France Palestine Solidarity Association (AFPS)
The signatory organisations reiterate their demands, which are grounded in international law: the Carrefour group must cease its direct involvement in the settlement enterprise, and the French state, as the primary duty-bearer under international law, must urgently adopt measures to prevent trade and investment that contribute to the maintenance of Israel’s illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Signatories:
Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS)
Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT)
Fédération CGT Commerce et Services
Ligue des droits de l’Homme (LDH)
Plateforme des ONG françaises pour la Palestine
Union syndicale Solidaires
