Backlash from inside Ben & Jerry’s: franchisees lose money and want boycott of Israel to end



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After a huge backlash to the decision by Ben & Jerry’s parent company, Unilever, to impose a boycott of the biblical regions of Judea and Samaria in Israel, Ben & Jerry’s franchisees located in major US cities that operate 30 stores with a total of $ 23.3 million in income wrote a letter every year asking Unilever to end the boycott, not for moral reason, but because they were losing money.

“There is a risk that the pursuit of social justice will sink into political correctness or result in overly simplistic solutions being adopted by people with a single worldview who misinterpret complex issues in which multiple demands for justice are made. are involved, ”he added. letter indicated. “Imposing such narrow prescriptions does not significantly advance social justice or the pursuit of a values-based business.”

After arguing that there were “multiple and conflicting demands for justice” over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the letter complained:

The decision to terminate the contract with the Ben & Jerry’s licensee in Israel not only distorts the situation on the ground, it has imposed and will continue to impose substantial financial costs on all of us. Most importantly, the controversy your recent actions have sparked over our local businesses has had a negative effect on the value of our franchises and independent investments. … Friends and family, neighbors and other businesses we work with have made us personally ashamed to do business not only with a controversial company, but with a company that continues to consider the calculated negative effect on its businesses. franchisees as acceptable collateral damage.

The letter concluded: “Those who firmly believe in Israel that they want to boycott it or part of the territory it administers are free to do so. However, they cannot do it at our expense. We believe this decision should be reconsidered and withdrawn. “

As reported by the Jewish Journal, “Jake Novak, the director of broadcasting media at the Consulate General of Israel in New York, tweeted that the letter is’ very, very important ‘because’ franchisees often sue their owners. franchise to court for things like this ”. There are lawyers who specialize in these kinds of cases and who win. It’s a red flag for #Benandjerrys parent company. ‘ “

This week, Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis warned Ben & Jerry’s parent company, Unilever, that it has 90 days to reverse the company’s boycott of Israel or face serious consequences, including Florida’s ban on state pension funds holding investments in Unilever.

The Florida State Board of Directors, made up of DeSantis, State CFO Jimmy Patronis and Attorney General Ashley Moody, released a letter detailing the steps the state would take to punish Unilever for its decision to boycott the biblical domains of Judea and Samaria in Israel.

DeSantis said, “By placing Unilever, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s Fortune 500, on our list of reviewed companies boycotting Israel, Florida is sending a message to American companies that we will uphold our strong relationship with the Jewish state. I will not stand idly by while awake corporate ideologues seek to boycott and part ways with our ally, Israel, ”as the Orlando Weekly reported.

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