Ben & Jerry’s to stop selling ice cream in Palestine after backlash over ties with Israel

Famous ice-cream brand Ben & Jerry’s has announced that it would no longer sell ice cream in the occupied Palestinian territories, citing a conflict with the socially aware brand’s principles.

Unilever owns the ice cream company, which has been doing business in Israel since 1987.

However, as tensions in the area have risen in recent years, the brand has come under fire for its ties with Israel.

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The Vermont-based firm has allied itself with leftist causes, including diverting cash intended for police departments and investing “that money in community-driven solutions that foster real health, peacekeeping, and safety,” according to a statement released in June 2020. Last year, the brand created a podcast on racism in America, calling on the US to eliminate white supremacy.

Ben & Jerry’s released “Change the Whirled,” a nondairy ice cream flavour inspired by Colin Kaepernick, in December 2020.

Fans have chastised Ben & Jerry’s for conducting business with Israel, particularly in West Bank settlements, which are illegal under international law, stating it contradicts the company’s liberal reputation.

The company has remained largely mute on the subject. Ben & Jerry’s stated on its website in 2015 that it was “keenly aware of how complex the local market can be,” and that it thought that by keeping a presence in the area, it might effect good change.

Ben & Jerry’s had a change of heart on Monday, stating it had heard and acknowledged the concerns expressed by its fans and partners.

Ben & Jerry’s has told its Israeli licensee that their contract would not be extended when it ends in 2022. Ben & Jerry’s will no longer be sold in Palestinian areas after that. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream will, however, continue to be distributed in Israel “through a different arrangement,” the company said, adding that it will keep customers informed.

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Israeli legislators slammed the ice cream company’s choice. Ben & Jerry’s has decided to advertise itself as the “anti-Israel ice cream,” according to the country’s new prime minister, Naftali Bennett.

Israel’s interior minister, Ayelet Shaked, expressed her displeasure with Ben & Jerry’s decision on Monday.

“Your ice cream is not in line with our taste,” she said. “We will manage without you.”

The Israeli-Palestinian relationship is tense, with some of the differences originating from who first resided in the area hundreds of years ago. Under United Nations Security Council Resolutions, East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Golan Heights, and Gaza are considered occupied territory under international law, while Israel disputes this classification.