Ben & Jerry’s ice cream has announced that it will no longer sell its ice cream in the occupied Palestinian territories, saying the sales are ‘inconsistent with our values.’ The announcement was one of the highest-profile rebukes by a well-known brand of Israel’s settlements regarded as illegal under international law. In a statement posted on Ben & Jerry’s website, the Vermont-based ice-cream maker said it recognises “the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners.”
“We have a longstanding partnership with our licensee, who manufactures Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream in Israel and distributes it in the region,” the statement said. “We have been working to change this, and so we have informed our licensee that we will not renew the licence agreement when it expires at the end of next year.”
Aida Touma-Sliman, an Israeli lawmaker with the Joint List of Arab parties, shared on Twitter that Ben & Jerry’s decision was ‘appropriate and moral’. She added that the “occupied territories are not part of Israel” and that the move is a crucial step to help pressure the Israeli government to end the occupation.
