Finish of dispute between Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s over gross sales in Israeli settlements

“The dispute with Ben & Jerry’s independent board of directors has been resolved,” it said in a statement released Thursday afternoon, without further details.

A giant in the agri-food sector and hygiene products, Unilever announced that it has resolved the dispute with its affiliate Ben & Jerry’s about the sale of ice cream in Israeli settlements in the Palestinian Territories.

“The dispute with Ben & Jerry’s independent board of directors has been resolved,” it said in a statement released on Thursday afternoon, the 15th, without further details.

Contacted by the AFP for more information, a Unilever spokeswoman specified this Friday, the 16th, that “the modalities of the agreement are confidential”.

In July 2021, the American ice cream group announced that the sale of the products in the Israeli colonies of the West Bank and East Jerusalem were not “compatible” with its “values”.

The decision was celebrated by Palestinians and considered a victory for the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign. (BDS) to the Israeli state.

Despite this, the holder of the trademark license in the country, Avi Zinger, continued production of the ice cream at the Tel Aviv factory. Contrary to the company’s project, it continued with distribution in the colonies of Israel, where 700,000 people live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Ben & Jerry’s took the unusual step of suing its parent company, Unilever, to block the assignment of business interests. However, a New York judge threw out the lawsuit last year.

Contacted by the AFP on Friday, the ice cream brand did not immediately respond.

Ben & Jerry’s, founded in 1978, is a company that affirms its commitment in favor of ecological protection, human rights and denunciation of inequality.

In 2000, the year it was acquired by Unilever, it expressly reserved the right to preserve its “integrity” with an independent board of directors.

Source: AFP