Ben & Jerry's stops selling ice cream in the occupied Palestinian territories
Ben & Jerry's has decided to stop selling ice cream in the occupied Palestinian territories, causing outrage in the Israeli political scene.
© Kevin Dietsch GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
US ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's has announced plans to stop marketing its products in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, citing “
the values
” of the company.
A decision that provokes anger in Israel.
Publicity
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With our correspondent in Jerusalem,
Michel Paul
Ben & Jerry's decision took the Israelis by surprise and in the middle of a heatwave.
And the reactions did not take long.
"
The boycott does not work and will not work
," said Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, indicating that his country will fight with all its might against this decision.
“
There is a lot of ice cream, but we only have one country,
” he adds.
"
The Ice Age Has Begun
"
Foreign Minister Yaïr Lapid takes another step forward: "
Ben & Jerry's decision is a shameful surrender to anti-Semitism and to the BDS movement which advocates boycotting Israeli products,
" he proclaims.
As for Orna Barbivai, the Israeli Minister of the Economy, she filmed herself on TikTok throwing in the trash the Ben & Jerry's ice cream that was in her freezer angering the Israeli ice cream dealer who employs near 200 workers.
@ornabarbivai
מתוקים, התבלבלתם ## benandjerrys
♬ צליל מקורי - Orna Barbivai - אורנה ברביבאי
Ben & Jerry's decision is expected to take effect at the end of next year.
In Israel, a similar measure adopted by the Airbnb site was finally revoked.
But several commentators believe that it could have a snowball effect within large international companies.
“
The Ice Age has begun,
” writes one columnist.
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Israel
Palestinian territories
Economy
consumption
Food