Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's, has once again sparked controversy by claiming that Israel is committing genocide during an interview with Tucker Carlson.
Four years after Ben & Jerry's founders defended their West Bank settlement boycott in a New York Times piece where they identified as "proud Jews," Ben Cohen's religious identity appears to have shifted.
Cohen recently appeared on Tucker Carlson's show to discuss his opposition to US involvement in Ukraine and military spending, finding rare common ground between his progressive views and Carlson's far-right audience. When asked about spirituality, Cohen took a surprising turn.
"In terms of spiritual belief, I don't practice a religion," Cohen responded. "I was born Jewish. I love Jesus. I think the words he said are wonderful, amazing. And you know, I'm fairly concerned that many organized Christian religions don't really, I don't know, follow Jesus's words."
Cohen added, "I think if we could follow Jesus's words and think about the Sermon on the Mount, you know, take his words seriously, we wouldn't be doing the things we're currently doing."
This religious pivot raises eyebrows given Carlson's history of platforming antisemites and because Cohen previously used his Jewish identity to defend the controversial 2021 boycott that sparked backlash from Jewish organizations and legal challenges across multiple states.
Cohen and co-founder Jerry Greenfield – childhood friends from a Long Island Hebrew school – sold the company to Unilever years ago, but reportedly Cohen has explored repurchasing it. During the boycott controversy, they wrote in the Times: "That we support the company's decision is not a contradiction nor is it antisemitic. In fact, we believe this act can and should be seen as advancing the concepts of justice and human rights, core tenets of Judaism."
They further stated, "As Jewish supporters of the State of Israel, we fundamentally reject the notion that it is antisemitic to question the policies of the State of Israel."
The interview also casts doubt on Cohen's current stance toward Israel. While primarily focused on other topics, when discussing potential conflict with Iran, Cohen made inflammatory claims about Israel.
"There seems to be some kind of strange relationship between Israel and the US, where, I don't know, Israel now has the US supplying weapons for its genocide," Cohen said. "And what I'm told is that Israel wants some concept of greater Israel. I mean, I don't really know much about that."
He continued with broader criticism: "Right now what it means to be American is that we are the world's largest arms exporter, we have the largest military in the world, we support the slaughter of people in Gaza, if somebody protests the slaughter of people in Gaza, we arrest them. What does our country stand for?"
Cohen has made similar accusations earlier this year, claiming in March: "The US supporting this genocide is essentially trampling on the soul of America," adding, "It's not a war, it's a slaughter. I don't think there's much difference between somebody getting killed by a bomb or getting killed by being thrown in a gas chamber."
Israel firmly rejects these genocide accusations. Carlson did not challenge Cohen's statements about Israel during the interview but agreed with his praise of Jesus. Cohen has recently promoted a website supporting DOGE, Elon Musk's initiative to reduce federal government programs. Requests for comment through this website went unanswered.
