Lawsuit filed against Unilever by Ben & Jerry’s over sale of Israeli business

Motorists drive past a closed Ben & Jerry's ice-cream shop in the Israeli city of Yavne, south of Tel Aviv, July 23, 2021. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images)

Ben & Jerry's will not abandon its goal of withdrawing from the West Bank without a struggle – with its parent business.

Ben & Jerry's has launched a lawsuit against Unilever over its decision last week to sell the Israeli component of the firm to American Quality Products, Ltd., an Israel-based franchise that will continue to sell Ben & Jerry's in the West Bank.

Ben & Jerry's states that Unilever's decision was made without the brand's board's approval and that delaying the sale is essential to maintain "the social integrity that the ice cream brand has spent decades constructing." The lawsuit intends to prevent the transaction.

According to the New York Post, the Ben & Jerry's board voted Friday to initiate the lawsuit after openly criticizing Unilever's move the week prior.

American Quality Products, Ltd. owner Avi Zinger responded, "The deal is done" Ben & Jerry's ice cream will continue to be manufactured and sold in Israel and the West Bank because Unilever took the ethically right, socially just, and moral course of action.

Following Israel's devastating confrontation with Hamas in May 2021, the Ben & Jerry's board, which has a history of advocating for social justice, decided to stop selling its products in what they call "Occupied Palestinian Territory." Unilever previously said that it had minimal influence over Ben & Jerry's board decisions, which makes its recent decision to sell surprisingly.

Publish : 2022-07-06 07:30:00

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