Ben & Jerry’s board claims Israel committing – Business News
Ben & Jerry’s board stoked controversy on Thursday after its unbiased board issued a assertion labeling the battle in Gaza a “genocide” — inserting renewed pressure on its already tense relationship with guardian company Unilever.
“We stand with all who raise their voices against genocide in Gaza—from petition-signers to street marchers to those risking arrest,” the left-leaning ice cream maker’s board stated in a assertion that was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
“When humanity is at stake, silence is not an option, now is the time to speak truth to power.”
Ben & Jerry’s stoked controversy after its unbiased board issued a assertion labeling the battle in Gaza a genocide. In Pictures by way of Getty Images
The assertion marks one of essentially the most forceful company condemnations of Israel’s conduct in Gaza because the battle started, and will additional deepen the divide between Ben & Jerry’s progressive board and the more cautious multinational that owns it.
Ben & Jerry’s has long used its model to champion progressive causes. In 2021, it stopped promoting ice cream in Israeli-occupied territories, citing inconsistency with its values — a transfer that triggered backlash, shareholder divestment and legal disputes with guardian company Unilever.
Though the matter was settled in 2022, a new lawsuit alleges Unilever has again tried to silence the model’s assist for Palestinian rights.
Unilever on Thursday shortly moved to distance itself from the board’s remarks.
“The members of Ben & Jerry’s social mission board do not speak for anyone other than themselves,” a Unilever spokesperson informed the Journal on Thursday.
“We call for peace in the region and for relief for all those whose lives have been impacted.”
The response is the newest indication of a longstanding and fraught dynamic between the Vermont-based model and its London-based proprietor.
An Israeli soldier stands on a tank as it’s taking place in entrance of the northern Gaza Strip on March 18. Getty Images
Last month, Unilever stated it had no intention of promoting Ben & Jerry’s — regardless of a bid by the founders of the favored ice cream model to buy back the company.
Unilever additionally not too long ago threatened to cut its $5 million annual funding to the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation until it agrees to a fast-tracked audit of its donations, escalating tensions over the model’s progressive activism.
In March, Ben & Jerry’s accused its company proprietor of ousting the ice cream maker’s chief govt over the model’s anti-Trump political activism.
When Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s in 2000, the deal included a distinctive association: the company’s unbiased board retained authority over the model’s social mission and advertising and marketing.
That uncommon construction has led to quite a few public clashes lately, significantly over the Israel-Palestinian dispute.
A girl holding a child cries as Palestinians examine the positioning of an in a single day Israeli strike within the central Gaza Strip on Friday. AFP by way of Getty Images
In legal filings, Unilever has criticized the board’s “decision to continue to embroil B&J’s and Unilever in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one of the most divisive and polarizing topics of our time.”
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen made headlines earlier this month when he and different activists disrupted a Senate health committee listening to.
As he was eliminated by security, Cohen shouted: “Congress is paying to bomb poor kids in Gaza and paying for it by kicking poor kids off Medicaid in the US.”
The newest assertion comes amid renewed scrutiny of Unilever’s ice cream division.
The company not too long ago introduced plans to spin off its ice cream business completely with the intention to streamline operations and specializing in higher-growth areas.
Analysts have famous that Ben & Jerry’s activism — and the backlash it ceaselessly generates — has added problems for the broader Unilever model.
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen was eliminated by Capitol Police on May 14, 2025, during a Senate Health Committee listening to on the Department of Health and Human Services funds. REUTERS
Tensions between the 2 entities reached a boiling level in 2021 when Ben & Jerry’s introduced it might stop promoting its merchandise in Jewish settlements within the West Bank and East Jerusalem — citing inconsistency with its values.
That choice prompted legal and financial penalties for Unilever, which was accused of violating anti-boycott legal guidelines in a number of jurisdictions.
The backlash led to lawsuits, sanctions and the withdrawal of lots of of tens of millions of {dollars} in Unilever stock, based on a March legal submitting by the company.
In response, Unilever offered its Ben & Jerry’s business in Israel to a native distributor — an effort to make sure continued gross sales throughout Israel and the West Bank.
Ben & Jerry’s then sued its guardian company, alleging that the sale breached the phrases of the acquisition settlement and undermined the board’s control over social affect selections.
The Post has sought remark from Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever.
