The board of ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's has called for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as Israel battles Hamas terrorists holed up in the strip after the October 7 massacre. He has once again entered the political issue of the Middle East conflict.
The Vermont-based ice cream giant's board of directors (founded by Jewish childhood friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield) has endorsed “peace and a permanent and immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.” ” was requested.
“Peace is a core value at Ben & Jerry's,” said Anuradha Mittal, chairman of the board. he told the Financial Times on Monday.
“From Iraq to Ukraine [the company] has consistently supported these principles. Today is no exception as we call for peace and a permanent and immediate ceasefire. ”
Mr. Cohen and Mr. Greenfield sold the company to conglomerate Unilever in 2000 for $326 million, but do not have any formal roles at Ben & Jerry's.
Last week, North Carolina withdrew its severance pay from Unilever in protest of Ben & Jerry's announcement that it wanted to boycott Israeli settlements.
Mittal told the FT that it was “astounding” that “millions of people are marching around the world and the corporate world is silent”.
In 2021, the maker of popular flavors such as Chunky Monkey and Cherry Garcia clashed with Unilever after the company announced it would stop selling its products in Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
The move drew fierce backlash from a company that maintains autonomy over issues such as branding and marketing.
In response, Unilever sold the Israeli branch of Ben & Jerry's to local licensee Avi Zinger, who continues to sell ice cream under the company's brand name.
Ben & Jerry's responded to the move by filing a lawsuit against Unilever. The lawsuit was settled in 2022.
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has also hurt other companies' profits.
McDonald's CEO said earlier this month that the fast food chain had a “significant business impact” on its Middle East stores due to “misinformation” about the company related to its stance on the Israel-Hamas war. He said that it is having a negative impact.
Days after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, a mob of Lebanese protesters attacked their hometown after McDonald's Israeli franchises announced they would provide free meals to Israeli soldiers participating in military operations in Gaza. A McDonald's restaurant was looted.
Anti-Israel demonstrators have also called for a boycott of Starbucks over its pro-Israel stance, but CEO Laxman Narasimhan said the demonstrators were “voicing false statements on social media”. “I'm influenced by it,” he said.
