The BBC reported Wednesday morning that Cohen announced he will independently launch the ice cream as part of a personal series focused on social and political issues that the company is barred from addressing. Cohen said the flavor will be watermelon sorbet – the watermelon has emerged as a symbol of Palestinian identity in recent years because its colors match the Palestinian flag – red, white, and black.

"I'm doing what they couldn't," Cohen said in an Instagram video. "I'm making a watermelon-flavoured ice cream that calls for permanent peace in Palestine and calls for repairing the damage that was done there." Cohen added he is inviting the public to propose names for the ice cream and suggest mix-in ideas.

This marks another episode in the continuing confrontation between Ben & Jerry's and Unilever, which purchased the company in 2000. Disputes have flared previously over the brand's social policy, and in 2021, Ben & Jerry's announced it would cease selling its products in areas under Israeli control in the West Bank. In response, Unilever sold the local franchise to an Israeli entrepreneur, which allowed continued sales of the ice cream in Judea and Samaria.

Cohen will launch the series under the Ben's Best brand, which he created in 2016 to support Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders. Cohen said the brand will address social issues that Unilever's management prevents Ben & Jerry's from engaging with publicly.

Last month, co-founder Jerry Greenfield retired from the company after decades, arguing its independence had been undermined. Cohen referenced the retirement at the time and said, "Jerry has a really big heart and this conflict with Unilever was breaking it." Cohen said he himself plans "to continue to work inside the company to advocate for its independence so that it can actualize the social mission, the values that it was founded on and has maintained for over 40 years."

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Greenfield utilized Instagram and X platforms, posting through business partner Ben Cohen's profiles, to reveal his resignation resulted from the brand's inability to champion social justice initiatives central to its founding mission, the Wall Street Journal reported.

"It's profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone," Greenfield declared in his online statements, as documented by the Wall Street Journal.

Unilever's frozen dessert unit, the Magnum Ice Cream Company, expressed gratitude for Greenfield's pioneering work and emphasized dedication to upholding product excellence alongside economic and social commitments.

"We disagree with his perspective and have sought to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry's powerful values-based position in the world," company officials told the Wall Street Journal.

When Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry's in 2000, their arrangement specifically preserved the Vermont company's control over political messaging and marketing decisions, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Friction has intensified surrounding several matters, from former Chief Executive David Stever's exit to conflicts regarding political positions – especially those related to Middle Eastern affairs.

"Ben & Jerry's has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power," Greenfield stated in his departure message, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Unilever continues to organize TMICC, which encompasses Ben & Jerry's, for an Amsterdam listing with secondary markets in London and New York in November.

Cohen pursues brand liberation and protested at TMICC's September 9 investor briefing, having explored assembling aligned buyers for the repurchase of Ben & Jerry's, though TMICC leader Peter ter Kulve confirmed that the division remains unavailable for purchase.

Cohen and Greenfield launched their Burlington, Vermont, operation from a repurposed gas station in 1978, creating texture-heavy products suited to Cohen's smell-impaired palate, as detailed by the Wall Street Journal.

Social consciousness became integral alongside product innovation, achieving nationwide prominence during the 1990s through combining progressive advocacy with inventive flavors.

Post-acquisition, both creators remained involved without managerial roles, attending franchise events and employee sessions in an ambassadorial capacity, with spokespeople verifying Cohen's unchanged status following Greenfield's exit, the Wall Street Journal reported.

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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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New York's $268 billion state pension fund on Thursday became the latest to restrict its holdings in Unilever Plc in response to ice-cream maker Ben & Jerry's decision to end sales in Judea and Samaria.

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In a statement, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said a review found the company and its subsidiary "engaged in BDS activities," referring to the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement.

The New York State Common Retirement Fund has total Unilever equity of $111 million, the spokesman said. The fund is the third-largest US public pension fund.

Pension officials in other states including New Jersey, Arizona, and Florida have also moved to sell shares in Unilever or restricted the purchase of new stock for similar reasons.

Unilever representatives did not immediately comment.

Ben & Jerry's moved in July to end a license for its ice cream to be sold in Judea and Samaria, saying sales there were "inconsistent with its values."

Unilever had said the decision was made by Ben & Jerry's independent social mission board, and that it does not support the BDS movement.

In a letter to DiNapoli's office in August, Unilever CEO Alan Jope said Unilever was committed to its business in Israel, where it employs nearly 2,000 people, and the Ben & Jerry's brand would remain in Israel.

"We have welcomed this decision to stay in Israel emphatically, and have been seeking to handle this matter in as respectful and sensitive way as possible," Jope wrote.

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Pro-Israel lawyers in Great Britain have warned Ben & Jerry's parent company Unilever against falsely claiming it cannot overrule the ice-cream maker's boycott of Judea and Samaria.

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In a letter to the multinational consumer goods company, UK Lawyers for Israel, which has the support of dozens of lords and barons in Great Britain, noted Ben & Jerry's Judea and Samaria boycott was in breach of Unilever's Code of Business Conduct.

Jonathan Turner, chief executive of UKLFI Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Turner said that "instead of trying to disclaim responsibility for the decision of its subsidiary, Unilever should take back control by requiring full compliance with its Code of Business Conduct."

If it failed to take control of the situation, investors "could lose confidence in the group," UKLFI said.

The group noted Ben & Jerry's move to halt sales to Judea and Samaria "has exposed Unilever to sanctions and legal action under multiple laws, some of which are detailed in UKLFI's letter. Since the BDS decision, Unilever's share price has fallen by 11% resulting in a loss of market capitalization in excess of £12 billion (around $16.6 billion).

According to the lawyers, the code of conduct requires Unilever companies to act in compliance with laws and regulations in countries where Unilever operates. It noted Israeli laws prohibiting discrimination against communities in Judea and Samaria as well as anti-BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) legislation signed into law in various US states.

The US-based ice cream company announced in July that its products would no longer be sold beyond the Green Line after 2022. The move drew immediate condemnations from Israelis and a call to boycott the company's products.

On its website, it said, "We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry's ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)," referring to the official UN terminology for Judea and Samaria. "We also hear and recognize the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners," it said.

According to the company, whose headquarters are in the liberal state of Vermont, "We have a longstanding partnership with our licensee, who manufactures Ben & Jerry's ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region. We have been working to change this, and so we have informed our licensee that we will not renew the license agreement when it expires at the end of next year."

The company added that it would continue to operate in Israel "through a different arrangement."

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Israel's Ambassador to the US and the UN Gilad Erdan on Monday blasted the "ignorance and hypocrisy" he said Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield displayed in an interview with Axios. In the Sunday interview, the Ben & Jerry's founders rejected criticism of their company's decision to stop selling its products in Judea and Samaria.

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"Part of the definition of antisemitism is exactly that - demanding from Israel what is not demanded from any other entity in the world, and the gentlemen Ben and Jerry have no problem with their ice cream being sold to supporters of terrorism, but Israel they boycott," Erdan said. "So I will continue to act so that as many countries as possible include Ben & Jerry's and [its parent-company] Unilever on their blacklist until this despicable boycott comes to an end."

In the Axios on HBO interview, Greenfield says he "wasn't surprised" by the accusations of antisemitism that followed the company's announcement, but "it's still painful. I understand people being upset. It's a very emotional issue for a lot of people, and it's a very painful issue for a lot of people."

Cohen, on the other hand, said, "[It was] totally fine because it's absurd. What, I'm anti-Jewish? I'm a Jew. My family is Jewish. My friends are Jewish."

"I think [the outrage] is largely based on misinformation. I think Ben and Jerry's and [parent company] Unilever are largely being characterized as boycotting Israel, which is not the case at all," Greenfield said.

"I don't view it as withholding money. We just don't want our ice cream sold in the occupied territories," Cohen said.

"We hugely support Israel's right to exist, but we are against a particular policy," he said.

In a statement following the publication of the interview, Ben & Jerry's Israel CEO Avi Zinger said Unilever and Ben & Jerry's "continue to claim they are not acting against Israel at the same time as they are acting in full force against the State of Israel and its citizens and doing a great service to the BDS [boycott, divestment, and sanctions] movement and our detractors around the world.

"Ben & Jerry's Israel will continue to act against the illegal decision that discriminates and harms many of the state's citizens, and we call on the Israeli government to also act, similarly to many countries around the world that have already joined the fight against Unilever's policy and announced the imposition of tough economic sanctions on it."

In July, the Vermont-based ice cream maker announced it would stop selling its products in Judea and Samaria by 2022. In response, New Jersey and Arizona announced they would divest from Unilever over its violation of state anti-BDS laws.

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Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the co-founders of Ben & Jerry's, dismissed accusations they supported the boycott of Israel following the ice-cream maker's decision to stop selling its products in Judea and Samaria in an interview with Axios on HBO Sunday.

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"I think [the outrage] is largely based on misinformation. I think Ben and Jerry's and [parent company] Unilever are largely being characterized as boycotting Israel, which is not the case at all," Greenfield said.

Cohen explained, "We were always in favor of the two-state solution, [but] the policy of the Israeli government has been to endorse the settlements in the occupied territories that keep making it harder and harder to actually have a two-state solution."

"I don't view it as withholding money. We just don't want our ice cream sold in the occupied territories," he said.

Asked by Axios reporter Alexi McCammond whether they should move to halt all Israel sales if they disagree with Jerusalem's policies, Cohen retorted: "Well, I disagree with the US government, but we couldn't stop selling in the US. I think it's fine to be involved with a country or to be a citizen of a country and protest some of the country's actions.

"We hugely support Israel's right to exist but we are against a particular policy," he said.

As for accusations of antisemitism following the company's announcement, Greenfeld said: "I wasn't surprised, and yet when it happened, it's still painful. I understand people being upset. It's a very emotional issue for a lot of people, and it's a very painful issue for a lot of people."

Cohen, however, was more indignant saying, "[It was] totally fine because it's absurd. What, I'm anti-Jewish? I'm a Jew. My family is Jewish. My friends are Jewish."

Asked why they continued to sell their products in Georgia and Texas despite opposition to recent legislation on abortion and voting in those states, Cohen responded: "I don't know. It's an interesting question. I don't know what that would accomplish. We're working on those issues, of voting rights. ... I think you ask a really good question. And I think I'd have to sit down and think about it for a bit."

Pressed on the issue by Axios, Cohen asserted that "by that reasoning, we should not sell any ice cream anywhere. I've got issues with what's being done in almost every state and country."

To which Greenfield added that "one thing that's different is that what Israel is doing is considered illegal by international law. And so I think that's a consideration."

In what appeared to be a decision aimed at singling out Israeli settlements, the US-based ice cream company Ben & Jerry's announced in July it would no longer be sold beyond the Green Line after 2022. The move drew immediate condemnations from Israelis and a call to boycott the company's products.

On its website, it said, "We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry's ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)," referring to the official UN terminology for Judea and Samaria. "We also hear and recognize the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners," it said.

According to the company, whose headquarters are in the liberal state of Vermont, "We have a longstanding partnership with our licensee, who manufactures Ben & Jerry's ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region. We have been working to change this, and so we have informed our licensee that we will not renew the license agreement when it expires at the end of next year."

The company added that it would continue to operate in Israel "through a different arrangement."

Although it was unclear if this was part of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaign waged against Israel among some leftwing circles in the US, it appears to fall in line with the goals pushed by progressive radicals on the Left in the US and beyond, which have accused the company of being part of Israel's alleged discriminatory practices against Palestinians.

The company had come under attack by boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement activists over its willingness to operate in Israel through a licensee that sells its product in Judea and Samaria. During the recent 11-day conflict between Israel and Hamas, the attacks intensified and the latest move appears to be the company's response to this criticism.

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A former employee of Ben & Jerry's said the company's board consulted with anti-Israel activist and Human Rights Watch's (HRW) Israel-Palestine director Omar Shakir before the ice-cream maker announced its decision last month to boycott the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

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"They believed him to be a valid source of information about Israel," Susannah Levin told Kan Bet Radio on Tuesday, as reported by The Washington Free Beacon. Levin worked as a freelance graphic designer for Ben & Jerry's for 21 years before resigning last month after the company said on July 19 that it would stop selling its products in Israeli settlements and eastern Jerusalem.

"Omar Shakir spoke directly to the board," added Levin. "He wrote the Human Rights Watch report, [which] is what they were basing their information on."

Shakir penned a report for HRW in April that accused Israel of committing "crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution."

The HRW director has also been accused of antisemitism and ties with terrorism. He was deported from Israel in 2019 for promoting a boycott of the Jewish state and took credit for Airbnb's 2018 decision to ban Jewish-owned listings in Judea and Samaria, a move that was later reversed.

Anti-Zionist activist and writer Peter Beinart recently revealed that he had also "spoken privately to [Ben & Jerry's] executives and encouraged their efforts" on the boycott decision. Earlier in August, Ben & Jerry's invited Beinart to speak with franchisees about their concerns regarding the boycott, reported the Beacon.

The British company Unilever now runs the ice-cream company, though founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield have a direct say in social justice and political issues.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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Ire over Ben & Jerry's anti-settlement ban continues. Most recently, Ecuador's largest supermarket chain, owned by El Rosado Group, announced it will no longer sell ice cream manufactured by Unilever, which owns Ben & Jerry's.

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The company has over 180 stores across Ecuador and is joining other supermarket stores worldwide that are protesting Ben & Jerry's decision not to sell ice cream beyond Israel's pre-1967 Green Line.

"For us, Ben & Jerry's decision is worrying and scandalous," CEO of El Rosado Group Johnny Czarninski wrote in a letter to Unilever. He also contacted Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked to let her know about the decision, after she approached him on the matter.

"Discrimination against some Jews harms all Jews worldwide," he wrote.

Unilever is also receiving blows in the United States, with Illinois having announced this week it intends to take sanctions against the company. Illinois joins other states, like Texas, New York and New Jersey, which have already proposed similar measures.

Meanwhile, Ben & Jerry's co-founders, Bennett Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, published an opinion in The New York Times on Wednesday defending their decision.

"We are also proud Jews. It's part of who we are and how we've identified ourselves for our whole lives. As our company began to expand internationally, Israel was one of our first overseas markets. We were then, and remain today, supporters of the State of Israel. But it's possible to support Israel and oppose some of its policies, just as we've opposed policies of the US government."

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A Ben & Jerry's shop owner Joel Gasman blamed the chain's newly announced boycott of Israeli settlements as the reason his Upper West Side has tanked in recent days, the New York Post reported on Thursday. 

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Gasman said the anti-settlement ban came as a shock to him, vowing to donate a portion of his proceeds to help Israel. 

"We couldn't sit back and watch without speaking up," Gasman told the paper on Thursday. "It has definitely hurt our bottom line and our overall store value. We've lost some foot traffic as well as bigger catering jobs that usually help us during the summer. We're getting bad reviews online that have nothing to do with the store, only in regards to corporate views."

Gasman will donate 10% of his profits to fund education causes in Israel in protest of the ice cream maker's corporate decision.

"It's been upsetting for us," he said, stressing that he and fellow Ben & Jerry's shops had nothing to do with the company's move to stop selling products beyond the Green Line.

Ben & Jerry's announced its decision in mid-July in response to pressure by the progressives on the Left who have criticized it for operating in Israel. In its statement, the Vermont-based company said selling ice cream in Israeli settlements was "inconsistent with our values." The move drew immediate outrage from Israelis and Jewish groups, many of whom called the move antisemitic.

Public officials in the US also condemned the move, with states threatening to divest their pension funds from Unilever, which owns Ben & Jerry's.

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