(Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Ben & Jerry’s) Unilever announced on June 29 that they are ending Ben & Jerry’s decision to terminate business with its licensee in Israel.
Ben & Jerry’s had announced in July 2021 that they were going to stop selling their product in the “Occupied Palestinian Territory” but continue to sell ice cream elsewhere in Israel. Unilever had initially said that their business arrangement with the ice cream giant meant that they couldn’t intervene with Ben & Jerry’s political activism; however, in the June 29 announcement, Unilever said they maintain “primary responsibility for financial and operational decisions and therefore has the right to enter this arrangement.”
“Unilever has used the opportunity of the past year to listen to perspectives on this complex and sensitive matter and believes this is the best outcome for Ben & Jerry’s in Israel,” the statement added. “The review included extensive consultation over several months, including with the Israeli Government. Unilever rejects completely and repudiates unequivocally any form of discrimination or intolerance. Antisemitism has no place in any society. We have never expressed any support for the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement and have no intention of changing that position.”
Unilever concluded their announcement by touting their Israel business. “We look forward to continuing to make a positive contribution to Israel’s economy and society for many decades to come, and hope that Israelis and Palestinians can reach a peaceful resolution of their conflict,” they said.
Avi Zinger, who heads Unilever’s Israel licensee and filed a wrongful termination suit against Unilever in March, said in a statement: “I thank Unilever for resolving this matter and for the strong and principled stand it has taken against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. There is no place for discrimination in the commercial sale of ice cream. It has always been important to me to ensure that all customers – no matter their identity – are free to enjoy Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. BDS lost. I now have the right to sell Ben & Jerry’s using its Hebrew and Arabic name to all our Israeli and Arab customers throughout Israel and the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) – forever. This is a victory for those who seek cooperation and coexistence, and a resounding defeat for discrimination. It is particularly significant for those who have stood united against BDS.”
Alyza D. Lewin, President of the Louis D. Brandeis Center’s Human Rights Under Law, hailed Unilever’s announcement as a victory against BDS. The Brandeis Center had been representing Zinger in his lawsuit against Unilever. “The lawsuit the Brandeis Center filed on Avi’s behalf exposed the hypocrisy of the BDS movement and demonstrated how BDS harms the very Palestinians the movement claims to support,” she said. “Today, those who promote cooperation and coexistence vanquished those who endorse bigotry, discrimination and hate. BDS tried to stop Ben & Jerry’s from being sold in Israel. They lost. Now, thanks to Unilever’s principled stand, Ben & Jerry’s will continue to be sold throughout Israel and the West Bank/Judea and Samaria by Avi Zinger. With this settlement, Unilever has ensured that Avi has the right – for eternity – to continue doing what he has done for decades as the exclusive producer and distributor in Israel of Ben & Jerry’s premium ice-cream. This settlement enables Avi to continue providing jobs for refugees, new immigrants and the disabled; economic opportunity for Palestinians; and support for Israeli-Palestinian coexistence programs and other human rights initiatives. Other corporations should take heed: BDS is bad for business. Discrimination never pays. Boycotts are not the answer. Engagement, cooperation, and coexistence are the true corporate avenues for peace.”
Other Jewish groups also celebrated the decision. Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted that Unilever’s announcement “is as welcome as a scoop of Cherry Garcia on a hot summer day.” “For the past several months, @ADLhas been in touch with @Unilever, the Government of Israel, and others to correct the misguided move by @benandjerrys independent leadership to pull out of areas in the West Bank,” Greenblatt wrote. “Today is yet another demonstration of the ineffectiveness of trying to boycott and ostracize Israel — and proves that healing can happen when all sides work together.”
1/3 This news is as welcome as a scoop of Cherry Garcia on a hot summer day.
Letter from @Unilever CEO @alanjope: pic.twitter.com/OOzuTY7A19
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) June 29, 2022
2/3 For the past several months, @ADL has been in touch with @Unilever, the Government of Israel, and others to correct the misguided move by @benandjerrys independent leadership to pull out of areas in the West Bank.
Full statement: https://t.co/ouRiaoY7Hi
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) June 29, 2022
Today is yet another demonstration of the ineffectiveness of trying to boycott and ostracize Israel — and proves that healing can happen when all sides work together.
Learn more here: https://t.co/i6wmNNJWzI
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) June 29, 2022
The American Jewish Committee thanked Unilever in a tweet for their “strong opposition to the boycott movement, which is deeply rooted in antisemitism.” They also lauded the Brandeis Center’s work in the matter, stating that “without its steadfast support of the Israeli people and pursuit of equality in the face of discrimination, it’s doubtful that @Unilever would have made the right decision.”
We applaud @BrandeisCenter, who advocated on behalf of @BenandJerrys' Israeli distributor.
Without its steadfast support of the Israeli people and pursuit of equality in the face of discrimination, it's doubtful that @Unilever would have made the right decision.
— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) June 29, 2022
Simon Wiesenthal Center Dean and Founder Rabbi Marvin Hier and Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action Agenda Rabbi Abraham Cooper said in a joint statement that Unilever’s decision was “a stinging rebuke to the BDS movement by one of the world’s leading corporations.” “We were deluged by thousands of our members infuriated that an iconic ice cream company had suddenly become the tipping point for the global anti-Semitic BDS movement,” Cooper said. “Unilever’s about face also sends a signal to other major corporate entities that they should shun BDS, which has never helped a single Palestinian, but has only one goal in mind: Demonize and weaken the democratic State of Israel and actively work for its demise.”
StandWithUs CEO and Co-Founder Roz Rothstein also said in a statement, “After months of work by StandWithUs and other organizations including petitions, states divesting from Unilever based on their anti-BDS laws and several lawsuits including the recent filing of a class action, this outcome is welcome news and a resounding defeat against BDS. This represents a victory for common sense and sends a message that discriminatory BDS campaigns will be vigorously fought through worldwide efforts against hatred towards the only Jewish state.”
Human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky, who heads The International Legal Forum (ILF), said in a statement that the Unilever decision was “the most breathtaking and unequivocal defeat for the global BDS movement.” “The ILF was proud to have been one of the first organizations to initiate legal action against Unilever in the United States over Ben & Jerry’s illegal and racist boycott, which was made on behalf of a Palestinian claimant, who made the case that such boycotts only contribute to hatred and division, while Palestinians are the ones who lose out the most,” Ostrovsky added. “This decision was only made possible after intense legal and financial pressure. A sweet victory indeed against the dark forces of hate, bigotry and antisemitism of the global BDS Movement.”
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