A Town of Hempstead Councilman, Bruce Blakeman, has informed Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan that the Town of Hempstead intends to cut all business ties with the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company, in light of the latter’s decision to boycott Judea and Samaria. According to Blakeman, the Town of Hempstead will also cut all business ties with Ben & Jerry’s parent company, Unilever.
What this means in practice is that all contracts and contacts between the two companies and the Town of Hempstead will be cancelled and then reassessed. In addition, the town council has already issued a call to all the stores within its jurisdiction, asking them to remove Unilever’s products from their shelves.
Responding to Blakeman’s announcement, Yossi Dagan said, “We have good friends all over the world. I’m confident that BDS and other companies will see that it’s no simple matter to boycott the State of Israel and Judea and Samaria. The truth will triumph over anti-Semitism. I offer my thanks to our good friends from all parts of the globe who stand on the side of morality and the truth of history. Judea and Samaria are not occupied territories – they are the heartlands of the Jewish People.”
The Town of Hempstead is one of the five richest towns in the world. Five years ago, Council head Yossi Dagan signed a twinning agreement with the town, which was when Hempstead adopted its position regarding boycotts. The new legislation it then adopted forbids the Town from maintaining business connections with companies or individuals who boycott Israel.
Last week, Dagan appealed to leaders across the United States, asking them to apply existing legislation regarding boycotts – at least 26 American states have such legislation on their books – to Ben & Jerry’s and to Unilever.