Ice cream giant Ben & Jerry's found itself in hot water Monday after declaring it will no longer sell its products beyond Israel's pre-1967 Green Line.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The decision, widely panned as a capitulation to the anti-Israeli boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, has seen lawmakers from across the political spectrum mobilize to have it overturned.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett slammed Ben & Jerry's decision, saying, "There are many ice cream brands, but only one Jewish state. Ben & Jerry's decided to brand itself as the anti-Israel ice cream. This decision is morally wrong and I believe that it will become clear that it is also commercially wrong.
"The boycott against Israel – a democracy surrounded by islands of terrorism – reflects a total loss of way. The boycott does not work and will not work, and we will fight it with full force," he tweeted on Monday night.
Bennett spoke with Unilever CEO Alan Jope on Tuesday, and stressed that the Ice cream maker's decision to boycott the Jewish state was "a clear and grave anti-Israel move."
Bennett told Jope that "Israel sees this decision as one that has serious consequences, legal and otherwise, and it will act strongly against any act of boycott directed against its citizens."
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid tweeted, "Ben & Jerry's decision represents shameful surrender to antisemitism, to BDS and to all that is wrong with the anti-Israel and anti-Jewish discourse. We will not be silent."
Ben & Jerry's decision represents shameful surrender to antisemitism, to BDS and to all that is wrong with the anti-Israel and anti-Jewish discourse.
We will not be silent.— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid
(@yairlapid) July 19, 2021
"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. They will not treat the State of Israel like this without a response."
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lior Haiat issued a statement saying, "Ben & Jerry's decision is a poor and wrong decision. The company's decision constitutes a surrender to ongoing and aggressive pressure from extreme anti-Israel groups.
"The company is voluntarily cooperating with economic terrorism, led by the BDS movement; an anti-Israeli movement with antisemitic undertones.
"The decision is immoral and discriminatory, as it singles out Israel, harms both Israelis and Palestinians and encourages extremist groups who use bullying tactics.
"Not only does the decision not promote peace or a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but it strengthens those who oppose reconciliation between the two nations and who call for the destruction of the State of Israel," the statement, posted on Twitter, said.
"Unilever's announcement cannot hide the fact that it decided to allow B&J, a company it owns, to immorally boycott Israel. It is turning a blind eye to an injustice, when its statement relies on contractual clauses, rather then express an unequivocal moral stance against the BDS movement.
"We call B&J to withdraw its wrong decision. We are confident that this wrong decision will resonate among Israel's many friends worldwide."
Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked tweeted to Ben & Jerry's, "Your ice cream is not consistent with our taste. We'll get along without you."
Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted, "Now we Israelis know which ice cream NOT to buy."
Yesha Council, an umbrella organization representing Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria, lambasted the move.
"Unfortunately, the ice cream company has decided to boycott Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley and as a consequence fire hundreds of Israelis who work for it in the south [where it manufactures its products]," it said in a statement.
"There is no need to buy products that boycott hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens just because of where they chose to live, and we hope this company retracts its discriminatory decision."
Now we Israelis know which ice cream NOT to buy
https://t.co/j7VNpIWX0f
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) July 19, 2021
Israel plans to take its fight to the international stage as well and is urging US states to crackdown on Ben & Jerry's over its capitulation to BDS.
As of 2021, 35 states have passed bills and executive orders designed to discourage boycotts of Israel. Many of them have been passed with broad bipartisan support.
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan has sent a letter to the governors of all 35 states asking them to take measures against the ice cream maker.
"Ben & Jerry's announced their intention to boycott hundreds of thousands of citizens living in Judea and Samaria. We view this decision very severely as it is the de-facto adoption of antisemitic practices and advancement of the delegitimization of the Jewish state and the dehumanization of the Jewish people," Erdan's letter read.
"In addition to the great moral difficulties that derive from such a boycott, Ben & Jerry's announced policy seems to also trigger potential legal ramifications, based on laws legislated by over 35 States, including your state, meant to counter these types of hate-driven boycotts."
He further cited the lawsuits and steps by several US states against Airbnb after the company announced a boycott on Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria in 2018.
"As a response to the policy change announced by Airbnb in 2018, several lawsuits were filed against the company both in Israel and in the United States, and several states spoke out and even acted to enforce their laws against the company.
"These efforts were successful in getting Airbnb to reverse its discriminatory policy within a short period of time. I ask that you consider speaking out against the company's decision, and taking any other relevant steps, including in relation to your state laws and the commercial dealings between Ben & Jerry's and your state."
I loved visiting the Ben & Jerry's factory in Israel as ambassador. They even made me my own brand. Now they want to end sales in Judea & Samaria. What is the world coming to when ice cream — ICE CREAM — is weaponized in an anti Semitic boycott. Shame! pic.twitter.com/spFQO1w4Yr
— David M Friedman (@DavidM_Friedman) July 20, 2021
A statement by Ben & Jerry's Israeli franchise holder said, "Ben & Jerry's decided not to renew the agreement with us in 18 months' time because of our refusal to stop selling the product across Israel.
"We call on the government and on consumers not to allow a boycott of Israel. This is an unprecedented action on the part of Unilever, the owner of Ben & Jerry's Inc. Ice cream is not part of politics. We call on Israelis to continue buying the local product, which provides a livelihood to hundreds of workers in the south."
Avi Kendler, the company's VP, said that the Israeli franchisee "has no intention of breaking the law by boycotting parts of the country. State officials have been apprised of the situation and I hope they can change Ben & Jerry's decision."
Since the decision was made public on Monday night, social media in Israel has been rife with calls for a consumer boycott of Unilever, the multinational consumer goods company that owns Ben & Jerry's.
Unilever Israel is among the five leading consumer products companies operating in the country. The company markets a wide range of products, about 85% of which are manufactured in Israel.
Monday saw Unilever Israel rush to dissociated itself from the move, telling financial daily Globes, "We are aware of the decision by Ben & Jerry's and wish to make clear that Unilever Israel has no connection to the Ben & Jerry's brand in Israel, which is managed by a franchisee and competes with Unilever in the local ice cream market.
"Ben & Jerry's decision was made by its independent board. Unilever Israel is very proud of its history in Israel and is completely committed to its presence in the country. The company will continue to invest in its people, its brands and its business in Israel."
Ben & Jerry's decision, however, did not have a chilling effect on Arab lawmakers, who welcomed the move.
Joint Arab List leader Ayman Odeh posted a photo of himself eating Ben & Jerry's and smiling, with the caption, "My diet was going so well until now."
הדיאטה הלכה טוב עד עכשיו pic.twitter.com/EzyEgyHFDw
— Ayman Odeh (@AyOdeh) July 19, 2021
Balad chief MK Sami Abu Shehadeh said his party, the most hawkish member of the factions comprising the Joint Arab List, "Welcomed Ben & Jerry's principled decision. We call on all [consumer goods] companies to support justice and peace by following the UN principles on business and rights."
Joint Arab List MK Aida Touma-Suleiman said the decision was "moral and just" and called it "an important part of the pressure necessary to end the prolonged occupation of Palestinian territories. Hopefully this [decision] is the first of many."
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
