Ben & Jerry's is back in Israel's West Bank, East Jerusalem: Why was the ice-cream sale stopped, what's changed?

In an attempt to rid itself of a growing row over the sale of its products in the Israel-occupied West Bank, consumer products giant Unilever announced on Wednesday that it has sold off its Ben & Jerry’s ice cream business. According to Al Jazeera, the British Conglomerate has sold off the business to its local licensee, Avi Zinger, for an undisclosed amount. The company had last year announced that it would stop marketing products in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. What made Unilever take this decision? According to The Guardian, Ben & Jerry’s independent board announced last July that it would no longer sell its products in the occupied Palestinian territories, saying to do so was “inconsistent with our values”. The board’s rebuke of Israel met with heavy criticism from within the country, with the then-foreign minister, Yair Lapid, calling it “a shameful capitulation to antisemitism”. Israel demanded that the US take legal action against the Vermont-based company. “The boycott of Israel is a new sort of terrorism, economic terrorism,” said Israel’s President Isaac Herzog. The country’s then-PM, Naftali Bennett, too, condemned the decision, saying that the company has now decided to rebrand as an “anti-Semitic ice cream” and called the step “morally wrong”. However, it was seen as a major victory for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. After Israel’s objection to Ben & Jerry’s decision, Unilever was prompted to launch an 11-month review of the business, leading to Wednesday’s announcement of its sale to Avi Zinger, the owner of Ben & Jerry’s current licensee for the region, American Quality Products (AQP). According to Al Jazeera, Ben & Jerry’s Jewish founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, no longer manage the brand but are well known for their commitment to social justice, with recently expressed strong support for the Black Lives Matter movement, LGBTQ+ rights and electoral campaign finance reform. What is the deal with Avi Zinger? According to The Indian Express, Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s in 2000. Under the acquisition agreement, it was decided that the brand’s independent board will reserve the right to make decisions about social issues, while Unilever is responsible for financial and operational decisions. After witnessing widespread objections to Ben & Jerry’s boycott of sale in the West Bank, Unilever on Wednesday decided to overrule the subsidiary’s decision. As per Al Jazeera, under the new arrangement, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream will be available to all consumers in Israel and the occupied West Bank, including in Jewish settlements. Even though the products will look largely the same, the new packaging will not have the brand’s in English, but in Hebrew and Arabic, The Guardian reported. Unilever will also not receive any licensing income from the sale of the products. A Unilever spokesperson told the Guardian that the company will not be receiving any licensing income from the sale of the products. “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 review included extensive consultation over several months, including with the Israeli government,” a statement from Unilever read. “Unilever rejects completely and repudiates unequivocally any form of discrimination or intolerance. Anti-Semitism has no place in any society. We have never expressed any support for the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement and have no intention of changing that position.” With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.