Food and personal care giant Unilever has announced that its dispute with subsidiary Ben & Jerry’s over the sale of its ice cream in Israeli settlements in the Palestinian Territories has been resolved. independent of Ben & Jerry’s has been resolved,” Unilever said in a statement late Thursday, without giving further details.
In July 2021, the American group Ben & Jerry’s announced that the sale of its ice cream products in Israeli settlements, where nearly 700,000 people live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, was not “compatible” with its “values “. The decision was hailed by the Palestinians and considered a victory for the Jewish state’s international boycott campaign (BDS).
Almost a year later, Unilever announced that it had ceded its “commercial interests in Israel to Avi Zinger”, holder of the brand’s license in this country, which had however contravened the directives of its parent company by continuing to distribute in the colonies “Ben & Jerry’s” ice cream, produced by its factory in the suburbs of Tel Aviv. Ben & Jerry’s had taken the unusual step of filing a lawsuit against its parent company Unilever because of the blocking of this operation, but had seen its request rejected last summer by a New York judge.
Contacted by AFP for details on the resolution of the dispute, Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s did not respond immediately Friday morning. Founded in 1978, Ben & Jerry’s is a company known for its progressive commitments, from environmental protection to respect for human rights or the issue of inequality. When it was taken over by Unilever in 2000, it expressly reserved the right to preserve its “integrity” with an independent board of directors.
The food and hygiene products giant Unilever has announced that its dispute with its subsidiary Ben & Jerry’s over the sale of its ice cream in Israeli settlements in the Palestinian Territories has been resolved. “The dispute with Ben & Jerry’s Independent Board of Directors has been resolved,” Unilever said in a statement…