Ben & Jerry’s ice cream showed its true colors once again by announcing a boycott in the “Occupied Palestinian Territory.” The Jerusalem Post noted one can correctly assume the company means the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The BDS movement loves the decision.
The company wrote:
We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). We also hear and recognize the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners.We have a longstanding partnership with our licensee, who manufactures Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region. We have been working to change this, and so we have informed our licensee that we will not renew the license agreement when it expires at the end of next year.
Ben & Jerry’s “will stay in Israel through a different arrangement.”
Well, only parts of Israel.
The Independent Board of Ben & Jerry’s, their fancy way of saying the board of directors, said selling the ice cream “is inconsistent with our values.”
“We have a longstanding agreement with our licensee, who manufactures Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region,” said the board. “The company will not renew the License arrangement when it expires next year.”
They added: “We have always been led by our values and remain committed to being a social justice company.”
Ben & Jerry’s has a long history of far-left politics. I remember when it partnered with rabid anti-Semite Linda Sarsour. It also asked Twitter to provide names for “progressive ice cream.”
Ben & Jerry’s boycott targets Jews living in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. The company supposes occupied areas are the places Jews reside.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated, “There are many ice cream brands, but only one Jewish state.”
Bennett continued:
“Ben & Jerry’s has decided to brand itself as the anti-Israel ice cream. This decision is morally wrong and I believe that it will become clear that it is also commercially wrong.”The boycott against Israel – a democracy surrounded by islands of terrorism – reflects a total loss of way. The boycott does not work and will not work, and we will fight it with full force.”
Unilever Israel provided a vague and typical PR statement:
“We are aware that Ben & Jerry’s has recently made an announcement. To be clear, Unilever Israel does not manage Ben & Jerry’s locally. The brand is run by a competitor’s business which owns the Ben & Jerry’s franchise in the Israeli market. Unilever Israel had no involvement in this decision. It was made by Ben & Jerry’s globally and its independent Board of Directors. We are very proud of our history in Israel and are fully committed to our long-term presence. We employ around 2,000 employees, the majority of which in our factories in Arad, Acre, Safed and Haifa. In the last decade alone, the company has invested in the Israeli market more than 1 billion NIS, and will continue to invest in its people, brands, and business in the local market.”
It looks like Unilever Israel is consistent.
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