Holy Land: Ben & Jerry's quits Occupied Palestinian Territory

Photo by Lama Roscu on Unsplash

Popular ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's has announced that it is ending sales in the illegally Occupied Palestinian Territory.

In a statement issued last Monday they said: "We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry's ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). We also hear and recognize the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners.

"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.

"Although Ben & Jerry's will no longer be sold in the OPT, we will stay in Israel through a different arrangement. We will share an update on this as soon as we're ready."

The West Bank and East Jerusalem have been under Israeli control since the 1967 Middle East war. More than 600,000 Jewish settlers live in about 140 settlements there. The international community considers the settlements illegal under international law.

The move has been welcomed by human rights campaigners. James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute in Washington, DC told Al Jazeera: "Ben and Jerry's made a very courageous decision, and a risky decision. It's really significant to focus on the calculation. Businesses don't usually do stuff like that. This was a big deal."

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett protested that the move was "morally wrong" and threatened that it would prove to be "financially wrong."

Ben & Jerry have supported many justice and peace issues since they set up a small business in Vermont, in 1978. Their ice cream is now sold in at least 38 countries around the world.

On their website they say: "We love making ice cream-but using our business to make the world a better place gives our work its meaning. Guided by our Core Values, we seek in all we do, at every level of our business, to advance human rights and dignity, support social and economic justice for historically marginalised communities, and protect and restore the Earth's natural systems. In other words: we use ice cream to change the world. The company has a long history of standing with and supporting the LGBTQ+ community in the struggle for LGBTQ+ justice, rights, and equality. They are also involved in campaigning on the environment, and refugee rights.

Read more here: www.benjerry.co.uk/values/issues-we-care-about