Israel is wondering what ever happened to the peace and love part of the Ben & Jerry’s brand slogan, “Peace, Love and Ice Cream.” It seems the ice cream retailer has reserved that goodwill for Palestinians but not for all Israelis.

If you live in Israel or the region of Judea and Samaria, there’s no love lost from the founders of Ben & Jerry’s who describe themselves in a New York Times op-ed as “Men of Ice Cream. Men of Principle.” In the opinion piece, these “progressive” businessmen say they are “proud Jews” and “supporters of the State of Israel.” But, they add, “it’s possible to support Israel and oppose some of its policies.”

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Bennett Cohen and Jerry Greenfield no longer have operational control of the company they founded, but they still applaud the move of those who now run the operation. They believe the company is “on the right side of history.”

They deem what Israel is doing in Judea and Samaria as “an illegal occupation,” going along with the United Nations and others in the international community. They even see Unilever’s move as “especially brave” in light of expected backlash.

“In our view, ending the sales of ice cream in the occupied territories is one of the most important decisions the company has made in its 43-year history,” they write in the NYT op-ed.

This business decision was not antisemitic, they say, but reflects a “long history of being pro-peace.” It advances “justice and human rights, core tenets of Judaism.”

The founders say sales have been halted only in the territories Israel occupies outside its borders, so Unilever’s move is not really a boycott of Israel. They also do not “endorse” the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Cohen and Greenfield only reject “Israeli policy,” saying it “violates the basic human rights of the Palestinian people who live under the occupation.”

They also call on other businesses to “advance the wider common good.” Just think if other businesses defined the “common good” the way Ben & Jerry’s does!

In the meantime, several Ben & Jerry’s franchisees have sent a letter to the company asking that their July 19 decision to stop doing business in the “occupied Palestinian territory” be rescinded. The letter was signed by franchisees in cities such as Seattle, Boston, San Francisco and St. Louis who operate 30 stores and generate $23.3 million in combined revenue.

In the letter, the franchisees caution against “overly simplistic solutions” to a “complex” problem.

And they ask the company to reconsider because of the impact of this decision on families and communities. Such family businesses have been “shamed” for doing business with such a controversial company. They don’t want to be viewed as “acceptable collateral damage.”

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In one short year, the new White House administration has turned against our greatest Middle East ally—an action that is fueling the new crush of antisemitism poisoning America and the world.

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Standing with Israel,

Mat Staver
Chairman
Christians in Defense of Israel

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SOURCES:

“Ben & Jerry’s Franchisees Call for Company to Rescind Israel Decision.” CT Jewish Ledger, August 9, 2021. jewishledger.com/2021/08/ben-jerrys-franchisees-call-for-company-to-rescind-israel-decision/.

Cohen, Bennett, and Jerry Greenfield. “We’re Ben and Jerry. Men of Ice Cream, Men of Principle.” The New York Times, July 28, 2021. nytimes.com/2021/07/28/opinion/ben-and-jerry-israel.html.

"Success: Ben & Jerry's Ends Israel License Agreement." BDS. Palestinian BDS National Committee, July 19, 2021. bdsmovement.net/news/success-ben-jerry%E2%80%99s-ends-israel-license-agreement.