It looks like ice cream is back on the menu for Israelis after it was announced this week that Ben & Jerry’s will no longer boycott Israel. Unilever, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s, stepped in and resolved the issue after a terrible decision to boycott the Jewish state.
Last July, the activist-led board of Ben & Jerry’s announced that the company would be stopping the sale of its products in Judea and Samaria (West Bank), including “East Jerusalem”.
(We should point out that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital in its entirety and that Judea and Samaria are part of Israel, as given to them by God Almighty.)
The boycott, however, meant that Ben & Jerry’s was effectively boycotting all of Israel as Israeli law forbids companies operating in Israel if they take part in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel in any form.
Thankfully, Unilever saw sense and stepped in to make a deal with the Israeli company, Avi Zinger, which gave them the rights to sell to all of Israel without any restrictions. It should be noted that Ben & Jerry’s does not agree with this decision. But the ownership of Ben & Jerry’s by Unilever means that Unilever has the final say on the financial side of the business, and all ice cream sales in Israel will profit Unilever and Zinger, not Ben & Jerry’s.
“Unilever has used the opportunity of the past year to listen to perspectives on this complex and sensitive matter and believes this is the best outcome for Ben & Jerry’s in Israel,” the company stated.
“Unilever rejects completely and repudiates unequivocally any form of discrimination or intolerance. Antisemitism has no place in any society. We have never expressed any support for the Boycott Divestment Sanctions movement and have no intention of changing that position.”
Boycotting Israel is never a good idea. The Bible is clear that those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed.
Unilever felt the effects of this Biblical truth first-hand.
Anti-BDS laws in America mean that states cannot do business with companies that boycott Israel, in any capacity. Because Ben & Jerry’s is owned by Unilever, it meant states had to divest from Unilever as a whole. New York, Florida and Arizona were among the states that divested hundreds of millions of dollars from Unilever. On top of that, Unilever’s stock price plummeted.
In total, Unilever lost more than £21 billion. And it was all because the activist board members of one of its smaller companies didn’t want to sell their ice cream to Jews living in their ancient homeland.
We are grateful that Unilever has seen sense and acted over Ben & Jerry’s terrible decision. The Ben & Jerry’s board has made it known they don’t agree with this decision, but thankfully they are powerless to stop Unilever from ensuring their products are available in Israel. It is a sweet result as Israeli ice cream makers are going to keep their jobs and children throughout Judea and Samaria will continue to enjoy their sweet treats.
As Israel’s new Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, said: “The Ben & Jerry’s factory in Israel is a microcosm of the diversity of Israeli society. Today’s victory is a victory for all those who know that the struggle against BDS is, first and foremost, a struggle for partnership and dialogue, and against discrimination and hate.”
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