Ben & Jerry's Will No Longer Sell Ice Cream In 'Palestinian Territories Occupied By Israel'

Ice cream chain Ben & Jerry's, known for clever ice cream names, political activism, and combinations of those two things yesterday announced it will stop selling ice cream in "Occupied Palestinian Territory," interpreted by many as taking the side of Palestine in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Ben & Jerry’s will end sales of our ice cream in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Read our full statement: https://t.co/2mGWYGN4GA pic.twitter.com/kFeu7aXOf3

— Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) July 19, 2021

"We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)," read the ice cream chain's statement. "Although Ben & Jerry’s will no longer be sold in the OPT, we will stay in Israel through a different arrangement."

Ben & Jerry's has been praised by activists for its support of progressive causes but has been silent on social media since the bombings between Hamas and Israel in May. Prior to today's announcement, the company has been relatively neutral in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Beginning in 2013, activists have pressured Ben & Jerry's to stop selling ice cream from their Israeli franchise in territories like the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In 2015, the company put out a statement ducking the pressure, but reversed their position yesterday, making it one of the biggest corporations to take the Palestinian side in the ongoing conflict.

The reaction to the announcement was essentially split down ideological lines on Twitter, with progressives praising the announcement and conservatives slamming it.

Thank you for 2 things:

1) Thank you for displaying consistency in your commitment to international law & human rights by correcting your policy.

2) Thank you for braving the ugly & hysterical smears you'll undoubtedly receive for this basic decency & common sense move.

— Omar Baddar عمر بدّار (@OmarBaddar) July 19, 2021

I found a company that said "well, we just won't sell in places that are literally human rights violations" and it is staggering that this is rare.https://t.co/FeAfnHICnf

— Rami Ismail (رامي) (@tha_rami) July 19, 2021

Ben and Jerry's discontinuing sales of products in Israeli settlements has more implications for the US debate than actual material implications in Israel-Palestine: It shows amongst liberals, there's increasingly no appetite for complicity in the occupation.

— Alex Kane (@alexbkane) July 19, 2021

Oh well. Guess I won't be eating any more of your ice cream. https://t.co/PqCiGInMVa

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) July 19, 2021

Serious question: has @BenandJerrys ever refused to sell its products in any other disputed territory, anywhere in the world--or is this the only one? https://t.co/9PM2nHievA

— Avi Mayer (@AviMayer) July 19, 2021

In response to the ban, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said the state will "act aggressively," though it is unclear what that entails.