Ben & Jerry's to Continue Sales in Israel, West Bank

JUN 29 2022·Updated AUG 4 2022

Story

Image credit: Getty Images [via New York Post]

The Facts

Ben & Jerry's parent company, Unilever, has reached a deal to continue selling the ice cream in Israel and the occupied West Bank, despite objections from the ice cream makers.
BBC News
Ben & Jerry's announced last summer that their agreement with Israeli licensee, American Quality Products (AQP), wouldn't be renewed after expiring at the end of 2022. The ice cream would continue to be sold in Israel "through a different arrangement," they said, but sales would be halted in "occupied Palestinian territory."
Benjerry
Unilever's decision, announced Wed., comes after legal action from AQP and its owner Avi Zinger. There was also pressure from shareholders, activists and American politicians.
BBC News
Unilever said that it had sold its business interest in Israel to a local company that would sell Ben & Jerry's ice cream under its Hebrew and Arabic name throughout Israel and the West Bank.
NBC
Ben & Jerry's has criticized this decision, saying that they continue to believe that the sales of their product in occupied Palestinian territory is "inconsistent with our values."
New York Post
Israel has celebrated this decision as a victory in its ongoing campaign against the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) movement, which aims to put economic pressure on Israel.
NBC

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The Spin

Pro-Palestine narrative

Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory in the West Bank is illegal. Ben & Jerry's has every right to protest this, and their activism shouldn't be undermined. Unilever is putting profits ahead of people. Other companies should follow Ben & Jerry's and use their platforms to speak out against human rights violations like those in Israel.

guardian

Pro-Israel narrative

Ben & Jerry's efforts to prevent sales in Israel were anti-semitic, and this decision reaffirms that no amount or form of anti-semitism is ever acceptable. This is a victory for Israel and Israeli jobs.

Israel Hayom