Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told the head of Ben and Jerry’s parent company, Unilever, Tuesday that the ice cream producer’s transition to stop deals in “the Occupied Palestinian Territory” could convey “extreme consequences.”
“Prime Minister Bennett talked with Alan Jope, CEO of Unilever which claims Ben and Jerry’s and clarified that he sees with most extreme gravity the choice by Ben and Jerry’s to boycott Israel and added that this is an auxiliary of Unilever, which has made an obviously hostile to Israel stride,” the prime minister’s office said on Twitter.
“Prime Minister Bennett underscored that according to the viewpoint of the State of Israel, this is an activity that has extreme consequences, including legitimate, and it will make a solid move against any boycott coordinated against its residents.”
The British shopper products combination obtained Vermont-based Ben and Jerry’s in 2000.
The compromising assertion comes after Ben and Jerry’s buckle under pressure by online protesters, reporting Monday it would end deals in “the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
“We trust it is conflicting with our qualities for Ben and Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT),” the company said in an explanation.
The expression “Occupied Palestinian Territories” has been utilized for quite a long time to depict the regions occupied by Israel since 1967 — to be specific the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, as indicated by the European Council on Foreign Relations.
The ice cream producer explained that it’s not pulling out of Israel, where it will keep on selling ice cream.
At the point when Unilever procured Ben and Jerry’s in 2000, the organizations made a strange arrangement that gave an independent Ben and Jerry’s board control over the auxiliary’s social mission and approaches.
In an articulation gave Monday, Unilever said that it has “consistently perceived the right of [Ben and Jerry’s] and its independent Board to take choices about its social mission.”
“The Israeli-Palestinian struggle is an exceptionally perplexing and delicate circumstance,” the company added.
“As a global company, Unilever’s brands are accessible in excess of 190 nations and in every one of them, our need is to serve customers with fundamental items that add to their health, wellbeing and satisfaction.
“We remain completely dedicated to our quality in Israel, where we have put resources into our people, brands and business for quite a few years.”
Notwithstanding, Anuradha Mittal, the seat of Ben and Jerry’s independent board, told media News that Unilever and Ben and Jerry’s have conflicted over the move.
Mittal said Ben and Jerry’s needed to deliver a more grounded proclamation that underscored the company’s obligation to social justice — and didn’t pledge to stay in Israel.
In any case, Unilever abrogated that choice and delivered the Ben and Jerry’s assertion on Monday without board endorsement, she told the News.