The planned ban on the sale of Ben & Jerry's ice cream brand in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories has called the Israeli government into action.
"From the standpoint of Israel, this action has serious consequences, legally and otherwise," said Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, according to his office, in a telephone conversation with the head of the British Unilever company Alan Jope on Tuesday.
Bennett spoke of the allegations of a "blatant anti-Israeli measure". Israel will "crack down on any boycott directed against its citizens," the statement said. Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called the decision a “shameful surrender to anti-Semitism”. Economy Minister Orna Barbivai posted a video of herself throwing a cup of Ben & Jerry's in the trash. The Palestinians welcomed the Ben & Jerry's announcement.
The ice cream manufacturer based in the US state of Vermont announced at the beginning of the week that it would not extend the license with “Ben & Jerry's Israel”, which expired at the end of next year.
They want to remain present in Israel, but no longer sell in the West Bank.
The area has been controlled by Israel since 1967.
Most states consider the Israeli settlements there to be illegal.
Israel denies this, citing historical and security ties, and has legally sanctioned measures against the settlements.
Over 600,000 Israelis live in more than 250 settlements in the West Bank.
Netanyahu calls for a boycott of the ice cream brand
The ice cream maker is known for advocating issues such as environmental protection and human rights. Bennett, on the other hand, is considered a supporter of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank, in which around 475,000 Jewish settlers live. The settlements are considered illegal under international law. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the incident on Twitter: "Now we Israelis know which ice cream we do NOT buy."
The Israeli ambassador to Washington, Gilad Erdan, has meanwhile written to 35 US governors whose states have passed laws against the boycott of Israel. "Action must be taken quickly and decisively to counteract such discriminatory and anti-Semitic acts," read the letter tweeted by the ambassador. It compares the case with Airbnb's announcement in 2018 that it would remove rental properties in settlements from the list. Airbnb reversed this decision in 2019 after legal challenges in the United States and at the same time announced that it would donate the profits from bookings in the settlements for humanitarian purposes.