US Judge Forces Ben & Jerry’s to Sell Ice Cream in Israeli Settlements
Aug 26, 2022 – – IMEMC News
▻https://imemc.org/article/us-judge-forces-ben-jerrys-to-sell-ice-cream-in-israeli-settlements
In an unprecedented ruling against free speech and the right to boycott, a judge in the United States ruled this week that the Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream company can be forced to sell ice cream in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
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However, the Israeli license-holder, Avi Zinger, continued to produce the ice cream in his factory near Tel Aviv, and continued to sell it in the Israeli settlements, going against the company’s decision.
The original Ben & Jerry’s company is now owned by the multinational corporation Unilever, based in London, and despite an agreement to allow the Ben & Jerry’s brand to make decisions about preserving its social justice values, Unilever sold its license to operate the Ben & Jerry’s brand in Israel to an Israeli company without consulting the Ben & Jerry’s board.
That decision by Unilever, according to Ben & Jerry’s, was “made without the consent of Ben & Jerry’s Independent Board”, and went against the merger agreement that gave the board the ability to protect the founder’s values and reputation.
Bu US District Judge Andrew Carter, based in New York, ruled this week that Ben & Jerry’s company must allow its ice cream to be sold in the illegal Israeli colonies, saying that the company’s claim that such sales violate its core values is “too speculative”. (...)