Here we go again!
The Ben & Jerry's board is suing its parent company, Unilever. The Ice cream company is calling Israel's self-protection in Gaza genocide, a call going against the corporate policy which does not allow its companies to make political statements. They enacted the rule after Ben & Jerry's 2021 anti-Israel action.
Ben & Jerry's board is also calling for the end of violence between Hamas and Israel. An example of their anti-violence point of view is what they said about the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in Israel. They said, "-----------------------------" That's the sound of nothing.
The anti-violence Ben & Jerry's board said nothing about the young people murdered in cold blood at a peace-promoting music rave, the women who were raped and killed with their bodies driven naked through Gaza towns so everyone could see, children killed in front of their mothers, mothers killed in front of their children, babies thrown in the fire ALIVE, kidnapping 251 people of whom over 50 are still in Hamas hands, 20 of them still alive, and more killed.
None of that Hamas violence was severe enough for the Ben & Jerry's board to publicly condemn.
The board of the ice cream company has filed suit against its parent company.
According to the WSJ;
The lawsuit was instigated by Ben & Jerry’s independent board. It alleges Unilever breached agreements allowing the board to make decisions about the brand’s social mission. Ben & Jerry’s has an independent board because of an unusual deal Unilever struck to woo the brand when it acquired it in 2000. The rights of the board were reaffirmed two years ago as part of a deal to settle an earlier lawsuit.
Unilever’s relationship with Ben & Jerry’s independent board turned acrimonious in 2021, when Ben & Jerry’s halted sales of its products in Jewish settlements in [Judea and Samaria] and disputed eastern Jerusalem, saying selling there was inconsistent with its values.
As a result, many countries found Unilever to be in violation of their anti-boycott, divestment and sanctions laws. That led to lawsuits and sanctions against Unilever, and the divestment of hundreds of millions of dollars in Unilever’s stock, Unilever said in a March legal filing.
An earlier Ben & Jerry's lawsuit was filed in 2022:
Ben & Jerry's filed a lawsuit against Unilever earlier this month after the parent company sold its Israel division to a local franchisee, Avi Zi — who is contravening the ice cream maker's ban on doing business in Israeli communities of Judea and Samaria and resumed selling the ice cream there under the Ben & Jerry's brand.
All the controversies and lawsuits have had their effect. In March 2024, Unilever announced its intention to sell its ice cream business as soon as possible. That includes Ben & Jerry's and its other ice cream brands.
Jeff Dunetz is Director of Special Projects Herut North America and Editor of The Lid
HERUTis an international movement for Jewish Unity, Zionist pride, protecting the Jewish people worldwide and Zionist education. HERUT operates per the ideals of pre-World War II Zionist leader and philosopher Ze'ev Jabotinsky. In this world where Antisemitism and hatred of Israel is at pandemic levels, it is important to be part of HERUT, a critical movement dedicated to protecting Israel and the Jewish people worldwide. https://zionunite.org/join-us