World

Ben & Jerry’s to boycott West Bank settlements, East Jerusalem

July 20, 2021
Bharat Times English News

Renowned ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s on Monday announced plans to boycott West Bank settlements and Jewish areas in East Jerusalem, refusing to allow its products to be sold in those areas.

“We believe that the sale of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) is inconsistent with our values,” the company said in a notice posted on its website.

The move fuels the Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which has targeted the Vermont-based US company. for the past decade.

The Vermonters, the activist group for Just Peace in Palestine, have been particularly vocal on the issue.

The ice cream company, known for taking a stand on social justice issues, clarified that it was not boycotting Israel, just the “occupied Palestinian territories”.

It said it would maintain its sales relationship with the territories of Israel within its pre-1967 borders.

“While Ben & Jerry’s will no longer be selling opt-in, we will be in Israel through a separate arrangement. We will share an update on this as soon as we are ready,” the company explained.

The exclusionary language used by Ben & Jerry’s was ambiguous as it referred to the “occupied Palestinian territories” and did not mention the words “settlements” or “East Jerusalem”, but the assumption can be made that these are the fields that are being referenced.

Ben & Jerry’s said: “We also hear and recognize the concerns our fans and trusted partners share with us.

“We have a long partnership with the licensee, which manufactures Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region.

“We are 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.”

“There are many ice cream brands, but only one Jewish state,” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said.

“Ben & Jerry’s has decided to brand itself as an anti-Israeli ice cream. This decision is morally wrong and I believe it will become clear that it is also commercially wrong,” he said.

“The boycott against Israel – a democracy surrounded by islands of terrorism – shows a total loss of way. The boycott does not and will not work, and we will fight it with all our might.”

Unilever Israel responded: “We know Ben & Jerry’s recently made an announcement. To be clear, Unilever Israel does not manage Ben & Jerry’s locally. The brand is run by a competing business. which owns Ben & Jerry’s franchises in Israel. Market. Unilever Israel had no involvement in this decision. It was made by Ben & Jerry’s globally and by its independent board of directors. We have a lot on its history in Israel We are proud and fully committed to our long-term presence.” We employ around 2,000 workers, the majority at our factories in Arad, Acre, Safed and Haifa, the company said. “Over the past decade, the company has invested more than NIS 1 billion in the Israeli market, and will continue to do so. Invest in its people, brands and business in the local market.”

“The boycott of Israel – an island democracy beset by terror – shows an absolute lack of proportion,” Bennett said. “Boycott will not work, we will fight with what we have.”

A resident of the Ma’aleh Adumim settlement, who did not wish to be named, said he was disappointed with the announcement, but said it would not lead him to boycott Ben & Jerry’s in return.

“This is by far the best ice cream you’ll find in stores,” he said. “I’ll buy my New York Chunk Fudge in Jerusalem right now and pass all the checkpoints and bring it back home.”

Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the announcement via Twitter, writing: “Now we Israelis know which ice cream not to buy.”

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid tweeted in response, “Ben & Jerry’s decision represents a shameful surrender to anti-Semitism, the BDS and all those who are wrong in anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic discourse.” “We will not remain silent.

“More than 30 states in the United States have passed anti-BDS laws in recent years. I plan to ask each of them to enforce these laws against Ben & Jerry’s. Will not treat the state like this.” added.

Yossi Deegan, the head of the Samaria Regional Council, responded by saying that settlements in Judea and Samaria would continue to exist even after Ben & Jerry’s ice cream melted.

MK Ofir Akunis (Likud) wrote on his Facebook page: “We will stop buying Ben & Jerry’s in Israel, in Judea and Samaria, and in every other place in the world.”

MK Mosi Raz (Meretz) reacted to the announcement, saying: “Once again, Israel has been harmed by the immorality of settlements in the occupied territories. Of course, there are those who are unwilling to sell [Ben & Jerry’s ice cream] In settlements that are illegal and immoral, and it is a pity that all Israelis are harmed by their existence. Likud Young Guard is calling for a boycott on the ice cream maker, saying “we don’t need Ben & Jerry’s, we have Golda.” MK Simcha Rothman of the Religious Zionist Party replied, “Don’t stop buying Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, as long as Israel owns the brand.”

The NGO Peace Now also responded, stating that “Ben & Jerry’s decision makes it clear that even if the settlers on the right continue to try to erase the Green Line, the world is clearly moving away from the occupied territories.” Sovereign Israel isolates. International companies are interested in it. Israel doing business with the state, but millions of Palestinians and unwilling to accept military control with settlement ventures. “Government of Change Huge Damage on Israel that is coming from the settlement enterprise,” it said. “Anyone who wants to strengthen the Israeli economy and avoid boycotts and international criticism will work to end the occupation.”

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