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Ben & Jerry's to stop sales in Palestinian territories 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 Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. 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)".
The West Bank and East Jerusalem have been under Israeli control since 1967. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the move was "morally wrong" and would prove to be "financially wrong".
The ice cream maker said the move reflected the concerns of "fans and trusted partners". The West Bank and East Jerusalem have been under Israeli control since the 1967 Middle East war.
In a statement shared to its Twitter and Instagram pages, it said the changes will be made by allowing current licensing arrangements to expire at the end of next year. 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.
But the company will not say how it will stop its products from reaching places that it doesn't want them to be sold in.
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Ben & Jerry's did not elaborate on why this decision has been announced now - but it has faced years of pressure from activists. 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".
It operates a factory in Israel and in a statement it said: "We have a longstanding partnership with our licensee, who manufactures Ben & Jerry's ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region. The changes would be made by allowing current licensing arrangements to expire at the end of next year, it added.
"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 end sales of our ice cream in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Read our full statement: https://t.co/2mGWYGN4GA pic.twitter.com/kFeu7aXOf3Ben & 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
It also runs two "scoop shops" in Israel - one located in Katsir, and the other south of Tel Aviv, according to its website. "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.
It said it would distribute its goods in Israel through a different agreement, the details of which would be announced "when we're ready". "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."
However, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett slammed the decision, saying that Ben & Jerry's is "morally wrong". 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".
"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," he said. 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.
More than 440,000 Israeli settlers live among about 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank, land that Israel captured and occupied in a 1967 war. 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."
Palestinians say this is the heartland of a future state and most countries consider Israeli settlements on Palestinian land to be illegal. Israel disputes this. "We call on the Israeli government and consumers not to permit a boycott of Israel... Ice cream is not part of politics."
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. Israeli politicians reacted furiously to the announcement.
In a statement Unilever said: "The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a very complex and sensitive situation. "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.
"As a global company, Unilever's brands are available in more than 190 countries and in all of them, our priority is to serve consumers with essential products that contribute to their health, wellbeing and enjoyment," it added.
It also said that it is still "fully committed" to maintaining a presence in Israel.
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield set up the company in 1978Ben 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.
Home Secretary Priti Patel criticised the firm last year for making statements about migrants crossing the English Channel.
The campaign group Vermonters for Justice in Palestine said in a statement, however, that its latest move fails to address "widespread anger at the actions of the Israeli government against Palestinian people who live in occupied territory".
It argues instead that the company "should completely disengage from Israel".