EDITORIAL: Backlash Against Ben & Jerry’s Draws Attention to Israel’s Use of Settlers to Drive Palestinians Out
August 6, 2021—A company that takes pride in its logo, “Peace, love and ice cream,” finds itself in the hot seat this Summer as the government of Israel, politicians in the U.S. states of Florida, and activists in nonprofit organizations and on social media launch campaigns against it.
On July 19, Ben & Jerry’s announced that it would no longer sell ice cream in the Occupied Palestinian West Bank. “We believe it is inconsistent with our values for our product to be present within an internationally recognized illegal occupation,” the company founders Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen wrote.
Ever since that decision, the company and its parent company Unilever have been under fire from the Israeli government and its activist supporters in the United States. Activists have gone after its founders with both words and penalizing actions.
Progressive Values
It should be noted at the beginning that the Vermont-based company is well-known for supporting progressive causes. On their website, the company says, “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 marginalized communities, and protect and restore the Earth’s natural systems.”
Still Selling in Ice Cream in Israel
It’s also noteworthy, that the company made clear in its initial statement it would still be selling its products in Israel. It is only the Occupied Palestinian territories that will be impacted. Furthermore, the decision doesn’t take effect until after the current license expires at the end of 2022. Those points appeared to get lost in the buzz in social media.
A Boycott Or Business Decision?
Meanwhile, although the company itself did not refer to its decision as a boycott, both proponents and opponents of the decision consider it as such.
Noteably, the parent company, Unilever, took the step of making clear it does not associate itself with or support the larger BDS Movement—a movement that includes a much more stringent drive to sanction Israel.
Unilver CEO Alan Jope wrote to several Jewish organizations, “We have never expressed any support for the BDS movement and have no intention of changing that position.”
Nevertheless, Israel considers the decision by Ben & Jerry’s a boycott, and its government is acting fast to thwart it.
Israel Maximum Pressure Campaign
Within days of the company’s decision to cease sales in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the Israeli Foreign Ministry sent a classified cable to all Israeli diplomatic missions in North America and Europe ordering up a pressure campaign against Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever. According to reporting by Axios, the cable called for “long-term pressure” on the companies by consumers, politicians, and in the media to force the companies to change their decision. It encouraged them to “encourage public protests in the media and directly with key executives in both companies.” Also, it launched an initiative to lobby for anti-BDS legislation in the United States.
Florida Blacklists Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever
One of the first U.S. politicians to respond was Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. He put both Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company Unilever on its “List of Scrutinized Companies that Boycott Israel.” The decision gives companies on the list 90 days to decide whether to continue their boycott. According to DeSantis, companies on the list are subject to investment prohibitions and banned from state contracts.
“By implementing these measures against Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever, the State of Florida is seeking to deter any other woke corporation that might consider doing the same,” the announcement by DeSantis says.
What is especially odd is that the governor’s announcement incorrectly says the company’s decision affects sales “in the heart of Israel.” Meanwhile, the decision only impacts the Palestinian areas, which the settlers have migrated to in an effort to push the locals out.
The governor’s office was unreachable by phone.
Maryland Vows Action
Maryland Secretary of State John C. Wobensmith wrote to Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington and the Baltimore Jewish Council, vowing to “respond accordingly,” the Washington, DC-based WTOP reported that
Calls to the Secretary of State’s office were not returned within a 24-hour period.
Illegal Settlements in The West Bank & East Jerusalem
Ironically, the backlash against Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company Unilever may only draw attention to Israel’s ongoing construction of illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It is estimated that East Jerusalem and the West Bank have approximately 300 settlements and more than 680,000 Israeli settlers.
The settlements are considered to be illegal under international law. They violate Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which bars an occupying power from moving its civilians into a territory it occupies. Also, they break other rules of international humanitarian law, according to Amnesty International, with “extensive appropriation of land and the appropriation and destruction of property.”
Furthermore, they are “a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace,” according to Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process.
The goal of settlers, according to funders like the Israel Land Fund, is literally to take the land for “the People of Israel.” That means moving the people of Palestine out. Evictions are an ongoing issue for locals—and something you rarely hear about from the U.S. news media.
Harassment of Locals
Moreover, settlers in the Palestinian areas present daily stress for the locals. Because the settlers live in the Palestinian territories in the West Bank, Israeli soldiers patrol the areas and force Palestinians to go through multiple checkpoints as they go to school, stores, and work. Furthermore, due to the settlements, Palestinians are blocked from using certain roadways within the West Bank.
“Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank are allowed to carry weapons, and often attack Palestinians and their buildings and farmland,” a special Al Jazeera report.
Unfair Accusations of ‘Anti-Semitism’
Meanwhile, it is not only the locals in the West Bank and East Jerusalem facing harassment. Politicians like Sen. Ted Cruz and others called Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield “bigots.” Others joined the name-calling on social media and called the two men—who are both Jewish, by the way—anti-Semitic.
Cohen and Greenfield easily refuted that.
“The company’s stated decision to more fully align its operations with its values is not a rejection of Israel,” the founders wrote. “It is a rejection of Israeli policy, which perpetuates an illegal occupation that is a barrier to peace and violates the basic human rights of the Palestinian people who live under the occupation. 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.”
Source: Ben & Jerry’s Website and the New York Times
However, the attacks and name-calling also reached Ben & Jerry’s Board Member Anuradha Mittal. She wrote on Twitter that “the vile hate” does not intimidate her. That did not stop it from amassing.
Twitter lit up as some people called for her dismissal. Others came to her defense.
Fending Off Attacks
“The barrage of hate, slander, and vitriol directed against Ms. Mittal for her principled leadership of the Independent Board must cease now, and those who threaten her must be exposed and held accountable under the law,” wrote a group called the Vermonters for Justice in Palestine. The organization had encouraged Ben & Jerry’s to take a stand on the issue of settlements for years. Mark Hage, an activist with the organization, described the efforts in a recent article in The Guardian.
Now, Hage says, the decision to stop selling ice cream in the Occupied Territories might encourage other companies to rethink their business practices. “It might be surprising that an ice cream company could cause such a meltdown, but Ben & Jerry’s set a remarkable precedent, one worth learning from,” he said.
Sources for this story include Amnesty International, the United Nations, Axios, Reuters, and WTOP.
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