(Headline USA) Ben & Jerry’s filed a lawsuit this week against its parent company, Unilever, in an attempt to block its products from being sold in Israel.
Unilever announced the sale of the Israeli division of Ben & Jerry’s last week after the brand said it would stop selling its ice cream in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which it claimed are Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, Fox Business reported.
Unilever said it believed the best solution would be to remove Ben & Jerry’s from the decision entirely so that the products can continue to be sold in Israel.
“Unilever has used the opportunity of the past year to listen to perspectives on this complex and sensitive matter and believes this is the best outcome for Ben & Jerry’s in Israel,” the company said in a statement last week.
In the lawsuit, Ben & Jerry’s said Unilever’s decision was made without the approval of its independent board. It defended its decision to stop sales in Israel, claiming its brand is “synonymous with social activism.”
We continue to believe it is inconsistent with Ben & Jerry’s values for our ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
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— Ben & Jerry’s (@benandjerrys) June 29, 2022
Ben & Jerry’s has unapologetically embraced anti-Semitic propaganda in recent years, even subjecting its employees to pro-Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction policies.
In a statement, the Israeli government said they would continue to oppose anti-Semitism.
“The anti-Semites won’t defeat us,” Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said.
“Even when it comes to ice cream. We will fight efforts to delegitimize Israel and the boycott movement in all its forms, whether it be economic, cultural, or philosophical.”
