Ben & Jerry’s is suing its parent company
Ben & Jerry’s is suing its parent company Unilever to block the sale of its brand and rights in Israel to an Israeli company that distributes its goods in occupied West Bank settlements.
The ice cream maker is also asking a US federal court in New York for an emergency injunction to stop the transfer of any Ben & Jerry’s assets to the Israeli company, AQP, and its owner Avi Zinger.
The move is a further blow to Israel’s claims that it had forced a reversal of Ben & Jerry’s 2021 decision to end its licensing agreement with AQP in order to halt sales of its ice cream in settlements built on Palestinian land.
Israel’s construction of settlements in occupied territory is a war crime that is currently under investigation by the International Criminal Court.
There is a growing international consensus that doing business in or with the settlements unavoidably contributes to Israel’s systematic violations of Palestinian rights.
Last week, Unilever announced it was selling the Ben & Jerry’s business in Israel to AQP, the local licensee that has manufactured and distributed the brand there for decades – including in the settlements.
Zinger vowed to continue selling the product throughout Israeli-controlled territories, including the settlements.
Yair Lapid, Israel’s prime minister, declared the deal a “victory” for Israel against BDS – the Palestinian-led boycott, divestment and sanctions movement for freedom, justice and equality.
But Ben & Jerry’s quickly announced that it disagreed with Unilever’s move.
“We continue to believe it is inconsistent with Ben & Jerry’s values for our ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the company said.
Now Ben & Jerry’s is putting its money where its mouth is. The central issue in the complaint is the acquisition agreement the Vermont-based ice cream maker signed when Unilever bought it in 2000.
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