Park Slope Co-op Votes Down Israeli Food Boycott

March 28, 2012 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City co-op's proposed boycott against Israeli products to protest the Israeli government's policies toward Palestinians has been overwhelmingly defeated.

Tuesday night's vote by members of the Park Slope Food Co-op in Brooklyn rejected a motion on whether to hold a referendum on the boycott, with 1,005 voting against and 653 in favor.

Public Advocate and Brooklyn resident Bill de Blasio said he was proud of his neighbors for doing the right thing, calling the proposal inflammatory and destructive.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn called the idea "ill conceived" and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer denounced the proposed boycott as "an anti-Semitic crusade."

The debate over the proposed boycott at the 39-year-old market was mostly symbolic because the co-op carries only a half-dozen imported products from Israel.