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Ben & Jerry's to stop sales in occupied West Bank | |
(about 11 hours later) | |
Ben & Jerry's has said it will end the sale of its ice cream in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. | |
The company said it was "inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry's ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)". | The company said it was "inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry's ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)". |
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the move was "morally wrong" and would prove to be "financially wrong". | |
The West Bank and East Jerusalem have been under Israeli control since the 1967 Middle East war. | |
More than 600,000 Jews live in about 140 settlements there. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this. | |
Patel takes on Ben and Jerry's over migrant boats | Patel takes on Ben and Jerry's over migrant boats |
The Israel-Palestinian conflict explained | The Israel-Palestinian conflict explained |
US moves to rebuild relations with Palestinians | US moves to rebuild relations with Palestinians |
In a statement shared to its Twitter and Instagram pages on Monday, Ben & Jerry's said its decision reflected the concerns of "fans and trusted partners". | |
The changes would be made by allowing current licensing arrangements to expire at the end of next year, it added. | |
Ben & Jerry’s will end sales of our ice cream in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Read our full statement: https://t.co/2mGWYGN4GA pic.twitter.com/kFeu7aXOf3 | Ben & Jerry’s will end sales of our ice cream in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Read our full statement: https://t.co/2mGWYGN4GA pic.twitter.com/kFeu7aXOf3 |
"We have a longstanding partnership with our licensee, who manufactures Ben & Jerry's ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region," the statement said. | |
"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 also runs two "scoop shops" in Israel and said it would distribute its goods in Israel through a different agreement, the details of which would be announced "when we're ready". | |
UK firm Unilever, which has owned Ben & Jerry's since 2000, says the decision was taken and announced by Ben & Jerry's and its independent board, but it remained "fully committed" to maintaining a presence in Israel. | |
Ben & Jerry's Israeli licensee was quoted by the Haaretz newspaper as saying: "Global Ben & Jerry's decided not to renew the agreement with us in another year and a half in light of our refusal [to comply] with their demand and stop selling throughout Israel." | |
"We call on the Israeli government and consumers not to permit a boycott of Israel... Ice cream is not part of politics." | |
Israeli politicians reacted furiously to the announcement. | |
"The boycott of Israel - a democracy surrounded by islands of terror - reflects a complete loss of bearings. The boycott does not work and will not work, and we will fight it with all our might," Mr Bennett said. | |
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield set up the company in 1978 | Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield set up the company in 1978 |
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called Ben & Jerry's move a "disgraceful capitulation" to anti-Semitism and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which calls for a complete boycott of Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians. | |
"Over 30 states in the United States have passed anti-BDS legislation in recent years. I plan on asking each of them to enforce these laws against Ben & Jerry's," he said. | |
A spokesman for BDS, Mahmoud Nawajaa, it welcomed Ben & Jerry's decision and called on the company "to end all its procedures with the apartheid Israel". | |
Ben & Jerry's - which was founded in 1978 by best friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield - has a track record of campaigning on social issues such as LGBTQ+ rights and climate change. | Ben & Jerry's - which was founded in 1978 by best friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield - has a track record of campaigning on social issues such as LGBTQ+ rights and climate change. |