Israel's Communications Minister, Yoaz Hendel (New Hope), met Wednesday afternoon with leaders of the Yesha Council, and spoke with them about the comprehensive telecommunications infrastructure upgrade in Judea and Samaria.
At the opening of the meeting, Hendel, Yesha Council chief David Elhayani, and municipal leaders from Judea and Samaria enjoyed a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, to show support for the Israeli franchisee, who has refused to comply with the parent company's call to boycott Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria.
Earlier on Wednesday, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked (Yamina) visited the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory in central Israel Wednesday morning, in a public show of support for the Israeli franchisee of the popular ice cream brand.
Noting the refusal of the holder of the Israeli franchise – Avi Zinger – to implement the boycott of Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria called for by the international Ben & Jerry’s company – owned by Unilever – Shaked called on fans of the frozen confection to continue to support Ben & Jerry’s Israel branch.
“Don’t boycott the Israeli Ben & Jerry’s franchise,” Shaked said during the tour. “We need to buy Ben & Jerry’s in Israel. Avi Zinger, the CEO of Ben & Jerry’s Israel, has been fighting for years against BDS groups.”
“He has refused to accept the terms set by Ben & Jerry’s International, to boycott parts of Israel, and we will do everything possible to get this decision overturned.”
“We need to fight the American Ben & Jerry’s company,” Shaked continued. “We’re working with Jewish and Evangelical groups who support Israel in the US, [encouraging] them to boycott Ben & Jerry’s ice cream until they change this outrageous policy of theirs.”
“The management of the international Ben & Jerry’s company chose to kiss up to terrorism and anti-Semitic groups, instead of standing by their Israeli franchisee, who for years has been a model for Israeli producers.”
Shaked vowed that the “Israeli government will do all that it can in terms of law, consumers, and diplomacy against the American producers to get them to change this decision.”