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.

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Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging that its parent company Unilever has prevented it from expressing support for Palestinian refugees and threatened to take legal action against board members, according to Reuters.

The lawsuit marks the latest development in a long-running conflict between the Vermont-based ice cream brand and the consumer goods giant. The tension first became public in 2021 when Ben & Jerry's announced that it would halt sales in the West Bank, citing values-based concerns. That decision prompted some investors to sell their Unilever shares.

Following that announcement, Ben & Jerry's sued Unilever for transferring its Israeli operations to a local licensee, which allowed continued product distribution. The parties reached a settlement in 2022.

The new legal filing alleges that Unilever has violated the terms of the confidential 2022 settlement agreement, which required the parent company to "respect and acknowledge the Ben & Jerry's independent board's primary responsibility over Ben & Jerry's social mission."

According to the lawsuit, "Ben & Jerry's has on four occasions attempted to publicly speak out in support of peace and human rights. Unilever has silenced each of these efforts."

The ice cream maker claims it attempted to advocate for a ceasefire, support Palestinian refugee passage to Britain, back US college student protests regarding civilian casualties in Gaza, and oppose US military assistance to Israel, but was blocked by its parent company each time.

While the independent board made statements on some of these issues, the company itself was prevented from commenting, according to court documents.

According to Ben & Jerry's, Peter ter Kulve, Unilever's ice cream division chief, expressed concerns about the "continued perception of antisemitism" regarding the brand's stance on Gazan refugees, the lawsuit states.

The filing also details disputes over a $5 million donation allocation outlined in the settlement. Ben & Jerry's selected recipients include Jewish Voice for Peace and the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Unilever reportedly objected in August, stating that Jewish Voice for Peace was "too critical of the Israeli government."

Ben & Jerry's has maintained its social advocacy position since founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield established the company in a renovated gas station in 1978, continuing this mission after Unilever's acquisition in 2000.

Earlier this year, Unilever announced plans to separate its ice cream division, including Ben & Jerry's, by late 2025 as part of a corporate streamlining initiative.

The post Ben & Jerry's sues Unilever over Gaza stance appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Unilever announced on Thursday that its legal battle with the independent board of its wholly-owned autonomous subsidiary Ben & Jerry's, over the brand's sale of ice cream in Israel, has been resolved.

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The Vermont-based ice cream company announced in July 2021 that it would not renew the Israeli franchise agreement for the following year, saying that the sale of its ice cream in Judea and Samaria, commonly called the West Bank, was inconsistent with the brand's values. This was met with a class-action lawsuit by a US shareholder and countered by moves to divest from Unilever by US several states such as New York and Illinois.

In June, the British consumer goods conglomerate sold its Ben & Jerry's ice cream business in Israel to local licensee Avi Zinger for an undisclosed sum. Ben & Jerry's responded by filing a lawsuit against its parent company Unilever in an attempt to block the sale.

In an updated lawsuit filed in September, Ben & Jerry's said it was seeking damages and wanted the trademarks returned. The brand also asked a judge to stop Zinger from selling the ice cream in the West Bank. Unilever's announcement of the settlement was met with praise by Zinger.

"I am pleased that the litigation between Unilever and the independent board of Ben & Jerry's has been resolved," he said.

"There is no change to the agreement I made with Unilever earlier in the year. I look forward to continuing to produce and sell the great tasting Ben & Jerry's ice cream under the Hebrew and Arabic trademarks throughout Israel and the West Bank long into the future," said Zinger.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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The post Unilever settles dispute with Ben & Jerry's over Israeli sales appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.