Ben & Jerry’s to stop sales in occupied Palestinian territories

The Vermont-based ice cream maker says it recognises ‘the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners’. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream said Monday it was going to stop selling its ice cream in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, saying the sales are “inconsistent with our values”. “We have a longstanding partnership with our licensee, who manufactures Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region,” the statement said. “We have been working to change this, and so we have informed our licensee that we will not renew the license agreement when it expires at the end of next year.” The statement did not explicitly identify the concerns raised, but last month, a group called Vermonters for Justice in Palestine called on Ben & Jerry’s to “end complicity in Israel’s occupation and abuses of Palestinian human rights”. “How much longer will Ben & Jerry’s permit its Israeli-manufactured ice cream to be sold in Jewish-only settlements while Palestinian land is being confiscated, Palestinian homes are being destroyed, and Palestinian families in neighborhoods like Sheik Jarrah are facing eviction to make way for Jewish settlers?” the organisation’s Ian Stokes said in a June 10 news release.