Ben & Jerry's Israel CEO Avi Zinger reiterated on Sunday his call for Israeli action against the global corporation over its decision to seek a new franchisee that would comply with its decision to end distribution beyond the Green Line.
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In a public statement, Zinger said this new arrangement, which would come into effect in 2023 if a new franchisee is found, would be in violation of Israel law.
Zinger's attack came after Unilever CEO Alan Jope told Reuters that "our absolute focus right now is to figure out what the new arrangement will be for Ben & Jerry's." Unilever is the parent company of Ben & Jerry's.
The Vermont-based ice-cream maker said several months ago that it would no longer operate in Judea and Samaria after the current contract with Zinger ends. This means that a new franchisee would have to be found because Zinger has rejected this condition.
"Jope's outrageous statement goes sets a new record for hypocrisy and lack of understanding of Israeli law, which explicitly prohibits the sale of products without offering them in Judea and Samaria as well," Zinger said. "In the coming weeks, the Knesset is expected to approve certain emergency statutes that have already been approved by the finance and justice ministers, allowing immediate sanctions against the company in response to the CEO's statement," he added.
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