Half a year after ice-cream conglomerate Ben & Jerry's announced it would no longer sell products in Judea and Samaria, the new head of the Israel Competition Authority Michal Cohen is expected to weigh in on the matter in the coming weeks, Israel Hayom found out from sources.
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In July 2020, Ben & Jerry's announced it would stop selling ice-cream beyond the Green Line, garnering harsh criticism from Israel and Jewish groups worldwide and accusations of antisemitism.
Later, Antitrust Commissioner Dror Strum informed the Competition Authority that the move was illegal under the 2001 merger approval decision between Ben & Jerry's and its parent company Unilever Global, as the contract prohibited any action that "may interfere with the franchisee's activities in Israel."
Ben & Jerry's Israel franchisee Avi Zinger has reached out to the Competition Authority several times in recent months to intervene in the matter and demand answers from Unilever, but to no avail.
The next few weeks will show whether Cohen, who has already made several dramatic moves in the food market, will also intervene in the Ben & Jerry's case and use the legal tools available to ensure competition in Israel's ice-cream market is unharmed.
The Competition Authority said in a statement, "the request is being examined, the complainants are in continuous dialogue with the Competition Authority and know that the processing of their request is progressing."
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