Posted on 03/03/22
| News Source: Times of Israel
The Israeli manufacturer and distributor for Ben & Jerry’s said Thursday that it is suing the ice cream maker, and its parent company Unilever, for unlawfully terminating their business relationship.
Last summer, Ben & Jerry’s announced that it will no longer sell its products in the “Occupied Palestinian Territory,” apparently referring to West Bank settlements and East Jerusalem.
Its Israeli distributor refused to comply, saying the move was illegal in Israel and the US, so Ben & Jerry’s said it will not renew the Israeli licensee’s agreement at the end of 2022 — effectively ending the business relationship.
The boycott announcement came after a heavy pressure campaign from anti-Israel and progressive activists. The decision sparked an uproar in Israel and among some US Jewish groups, many of whom called it antisemitic, since the company has no boycotts against any other area of the world.
The new lawsuit requests a US federal court deem Unilever’s move illegal, and enable the Israeli company American Quality Products (AQP), and owner Avi Zinger, to keep selling Ben & Jerry’s products throughout Israel and the West Bank. It also seeks a jury trial and damages.