Ben & Jerry's loses bid against Unilever to block sales in West Bank
3 Min Read
It seems US federal judges do not consider selling products in ethnically cleansed and occupied areas as an act that causes "irreparable harm".
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A man walks past a closed “Ben & Jerry’s” ice cream shop in occupied Palestine, on July 23, 2021.
ice cream company Ben & Jerry's has lost a case that aimed at blocking parent company Unilever from selling its ice cream in the occupied West Bank. The ice cream giant argued that such a move would run against its values.
A US federal judge on Monday ruled that Ben & Jerry's "failed to demonstrate" that selling its ice cream in the West Bank would cause it "irreparable harm."
The judge, Andrew Carter Jr, argued that the idea that Ben & Jerry's messaging could be spoiled or confused about the company's core values was "too speculative."
Ben & Jerry's is known for its advocacy towards progressive causes, from environmental protection initiatives to promoting human rights.
Earlier this month, Ben & Jerry's independent board revealed that Unilever had frozen the directors' salaries in July as a form of pressure to allow the ceding of the company to an Israeli businessman.
Where it started
In July of last year, Ben & Jerry's decision to stop ice cream sales in the occupied West Bank came after a BDS campaign to pressure the company over its business in "Israel". In response, Unilever took the decision to sell the company to an Israeli businessman, Avi Zinger, after Israeli attempts to coerce Ben & Jerry's ended in a stalemate.
Last month, July, the ice cream company filed a complaint against Unilever in an attempt to block the conglomerate's decision to sell the business to Zinger, which would allow the company to sell its ice cream in the occupied West Bank in illegal Israeli settlements.
"This decision for us to go to court is because of Unilever's sale without our input, which is a clear violation of the letter and the spirit of our original acquisition agreement with Unilever," said Anuradha Mittal, the chairperson of the board, in an interview.
"If Unilever is willing to so blatantly violate the agreement that has governed the parties' conduct for over two decades, then we believe it won't stop with this issue.
"If left unaddressed, Unilever's actions will undermine our social mission and essential integrity of the brand, which threatens our reputation and ultimately our business as a whole," she added.
The Israeli occupation's latest round of approving the expansion of illegal settlements came in mid-May, with "Tel Aviv" advancing plans for 4,427 illegal settlement units for settlers in the occupied West Bank.
The expansion of settlements has been taking place in the West Bank since 1967, despite occupied Palestine and the majority of the world decrying the illegitimate process.
Settlement expansion surged under former occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and during Trump's administration, with former PM Naftali Bennett being the former head of a settlement lobby himself. Bennett's government claimed it had different plans than Netanyahu's but follows similar policies.
About half a million Israeli settlers live in the occupied Palestinian territories, with many more even wanting to move there, Elhayani added, not taking into consideration the rights and needs of the Palestinians as they uproot them from their lands.
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