In protest against occupation: No Ben & Jerry’s in Israeli settlements

A US ice cream maker stops selling its products in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Prime Minister Bennett’s administration is outraged and threatens consequences.

According to a study, Israelis consume ten liters of ice cream a year. The colorful packaging of the US group Ben & Jerry’s can be found in many refrigerated shelves in supermarkets – also in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. But this should be over by the end of 2022. “Peace, love and ice cream” is the motto of the company from the US state of Vermont. Ben & Jerry’s writes that it is incompatible with the company’s values ​​to sell products in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Call for boycott by members of the government

Many members of the Israeli government are outraged, for example Minister of Economic Affairs Orna Barbivai. In a cell phone video, the minister walks to the freezer, takes out a pack of Ben & Jerry’s and throws it in the trash can. “I’m coming home after a long day at work in government. You know what? Your ice cream can’t tell us how decision-making processes work in the country. Thank you, but that’s the end of it.”

The US company Ben & Jerry’s does not produce in Israel itself, but works here with an Israeli company. This company protested sharply against the announcement from the USA. The Israeli branch says that ice cream will continue to be sold “all over Israel”. By “all of Israel” is meant both Israel and settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. From a purely legal point of view, even Israel does not treat the settlements completely as part of the state. An annexation announced by ex-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not take place. Ben & Jerry’s now also differentiates between Israel and the West Bank, wants to continue to be active in Israel and only avoid settlements.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid is nevertheless outraged. “The decision by Ben & Jerry’s is a shameful surrender to anti-Semitism and the BDS boycott movement. We will not be silent. Over 30 states in the US have passed laws against the BDS boycott movement. I will urge every single state to pass these laws against Ben & Jerry’s. Jerry’s. If this company treats the State of Israel like that, there will be a reaction. ”

Ben & Jerry’s not the first company

The government accuses companies like Ben & Jerry’s of treating Israel worse than other countries. A concrete comparison is difficult, however, because the ice cream is not sold at all in Russia and on the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula, for example. Two and a half years ago, the online platform Airbnb announced that it would be removing advertisements in Israeli settlements from its program. At that time, too, the Israeli government protested sharply and indirectly threatened countermeasures through anti-boycott laws in US states. Airbnb then did not implement its plans.

The Israeli organization Peace Now, which is critical of the occupation, would like more determination from companies. Their spokeswoman Dana Mills welcomes Ben & Jerry’s decision. “This decision makes it clear that the world distinguishes between Israel and the occupied territories. Even if the Israeli right is trying to erase the so-called green line between the territories. International corporations prefer to trade with Israel, but they do not want to provide support for the rule over millions of Palestinians and the development of settlements. ” A company that was previously known for varieties such as “Chocolate Fudge” or “Peanut Butter” now employs the highest levels of government. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has already warned the ice cream company of “serious consequences”. He complained to the head of the parent company Unilever about the “clearly anti-Israel move”.