Ben & Jerry’s says parent company Unilever silenced it over Gaza support
The parent company of Ben & Jerry’s has attempted to silence the ice cream brand’s support for the Palestinian cause, threatening to dismantle its board and sue its members, according to a lawsuit.
“Ben & Jerry’s has on four occasions attempted to publicly speak out in support of peace and human rights. Unilever has silenced each of these efforts,” according to the lawsuit, filed in a New York federal court on Wednesday.
The legal action is the latest spat between the Unilever conglomerate and Ben & Jerry’s over the Palestinian issue.
Three years ago, Ben & Jerry’s announced it would stop selling its ice cream in the occupied Palestinian territory, saying it was “inconsistent” with its values. This led Unilever to look for a “new arrangement”, offloading its Israeli Ben and Jerry’s business to a local licensee, which kept the ice cream for sale in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Ben and Jerry’s sued Unilever for selling its business to a licensee. The lawsuit was settled in 2022, but the details remain confidential. Ben and Jerry’s alleges in its latest suit that Unilever has violated the agreement.
The Vermont-based ice cream maker called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza in January, making it one of the first multinational companies to do so after Israel began bombing Gaza in October 2023. In May, its board expressed support for pro-Palestine protests sweeping US college campuses, saying they were “essential” to democracy.
Canadian ministers call out Israel over ‘catastrophic’ situation in Gaza
Canada has told Israel that “there is an absolute imperative to act now” and immediately provide “a significant and sustained increase of humanitarian assistance” to the civilian population in Gaza.
In a joint statement, Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen referred to “catastrophic humanitarian conditions” in Gaza where there are “life-threatening levels of acute malnutrition”.
“Civilians – men, women and children – are dying because of the lack of humanitarian assistance allowed into Gaza,” the ministers said. “The Israeli Government must abide by its obligations under international humanitarian law,” they added.
Canada is deeply disturbed by the humanitarian conditions that persist in Gaza.
With over 133k people—the most in any region of the world—facing severe food insecurity, Gaza has been issued a famine warning by @theIPCinfo. [1/2]
— Ahmed Hussen (@HonAhmedHussen) November 15, 2024
Pro-Palestinian protesters rally against Israeli football match in Paris
Pro-Palestinian protesters rallied in Paris on Thursday, objecting to France hosting the national football team of Israel. There was a heavy security presence at the Nations League match, which was attended by French President Emmanuel Macron.
