British multinational consumer goods company Unilever, which is based in London, has sold its Ben & Jerry’s ice cream business in Israel to its local licensee for a sum which has not yet been disclosed. The US-based brand in 2021 had announced that will stop marketing products in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and said that the company was “ inconsistent” with its values.
Ben & Jerry’s ice cream would now be available to all customers in Israel as well as the occupied West Bank, including Jewish communities, under the new agreement.
Ben & Jerry’s disagreed with the parent company’s choice and stated that even though they were no longer making money from the sale of their ice cream in unlawfully occupied areas, their attitude had not changed.
The company via Twitter stated that the continued sale of our ice cream in the occupied Palestinian territory goes against our continued belief that Ben & Jerry’s ideals should be upheld.
The Jewish founders of Ben & Jerry’s, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, are no longer in charge of the company but are well known for their dedication to social justice. They have recently shown steadfast support for the Black Lives Matter movement, LGBTQ+ rights, and electoral campaign finance reform.
This incident has brought to light the difficulties faced by consumer firms that have supported progressive causes and attempted to speak out against Israel, which has occupied the Palestinian territory. In 2019, San Francisco-based Airbnb changed its decision to delist Israeli settlements.