Demonstrations were held outside a Starbucks store in Bradford today by campaigners claiming the company does business in Israel.

The demonstrations were organised by United 4 Palestine, an umbrella group of Christian and Muslim groups.

Campaigner Karl Dallas, one of the organisers, said: “The people of Gaza have virtually no weapons, so we can hit back on their behalf by boycotting all the firms that do business in Israel.”

United 4 Palestine was formed recently as a response to the latest outburst of violence in the region and to highlight the ongoing troubles in Gaza.

The group consists of activists including Palestine Solidarity, the Stop The War coalition, Friends of Al-Agsa, South Asian People’s Forum and many faith groups.

A Starbucks spokesman said: “It is disheartening that calls for boycotts of Starbucks stores and products, which are based on blatant untruths, have had impacts on local economies.

“We decided to dissolve our partnership in Israel in 2003 due to on-going operational challenges.”