Operations

Ben & Jerry's pulling out of occupied Palestinian territory

Image via Ben & Jerry's on Instagram.

July 20, 2021

Ben & Jerry's said this week that it will stop selling ice cream in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and contested east Jerusalem, though it has been doing business in Israel since 1987 and has a plant there in Be'er Tuviya. The news was posted on the company's website, as well as its Twitter and Instagram accounts on Monday.

The Unilever brand has long been vocal about its support of issues involving social justice. The cessation of sales in those areas comes after Ben & Jerry's was publicly criticized for its presence in the areas. The pullout is seen as a form of criticism of Israel's practice of allowing citizens to settle in areas already claimed through war by the Palestinians.

"We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry's ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory," the company said in a statement posted on its website Monday. "We also hear and recognize the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners."

Violence has plagued the areas recently. Ben & Jerry's said this week that it will not renew its license with a partner in Israel to make and distribute ice cream there. That contract expires at the end of this year.