Brooklyn Co-Op Votes 'No' On Israeli Product Boycott

The votes have been cast: in a debate that sparked international controversy, the Park Slope Food Coop voted no against a proposal to boycott Israeli products.

Nearly 1,6000 members of the co-op packed a Brooklyn high school to make a decision, one that has gained publicity. The co-op revealed that a large majority voted against the proposal — more than 1,000 against and nearly 660 for it.

The move to ban Israeli products, which began last May, was largely motivated by political reasons; those in favor of the ban handed out leaflets criticizing Israel's military involvement in the West Bank and Gaza. At the meeting, the discussion revolved mostly around the politics of Israel: the New York Daily News reports that one member said during the debate, "Israel is a massive military power, funded with billions of our tax dollars . . . colonizing Palestinian land."

If the proposal had gone through, the co-op would have banned a hummus product, seltzer water, kosher marshmallows, and three types of pesto and tapenades, said the Washington Post. It's not the first time a possible boycott has rocked the Brooklyn co-op; the co-op banned products from South America during Apartheid.

Not one to be left out of the loop, The Daily Show investigated for itself — Samantha Bee headed to the "front lines" to see what the true fight was all about.