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The American company “Ben & Jerry’s” has announced that it will stop selling its ice cream in the Palestinian territories.
“Selling Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in the occupied Palestinian territories goes against our values,” the company added on Monday.
It refers to the occupied Palestinian territory, the West Bank, which has been under Israeli control since 1967.
Ben & Jerry’s said the move reflects the concerns of “our fans and our trusted partners.”
In a statement posted on his Twitter and Instagram pages, he confirmed the changes would be made by allowing current license agreements to expire until the end of next year.
But the company won’t say how it will prevent its products from reaching places they don’t want to be sold.
Ben & Jerry’s hasn’t explained why the move has been announced now – but the company has come under years of pressure from activists as it operates a factory in Israel.
“We have a long-term partnership with the licensee, which manufactures Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region,” he said in a statement.
“We have been working to change this, so we have informed the licensee that we will not be renewing the license agreement when it expires at the end of next year.”
It also operates two “fresh ice cream parlors” in Israel – one located in Katzir and the other south of Tel Aviv, according to the company’s website.
He said he would distribute his goods in Israel through another agreement, details of which will be announced “when we are ready.”
However, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett criticized Ben & Jerry’s decision, saying his decision was “morally wrong”.
He added: “The boycott of Israel – democracy surrounded by islands of terror – reflects a total loss of tendencies. The boycott does not work and will not succeed, and we will fight it with all our might.
More than 440,000 Israeli settlers live among an estimated 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank, a land captured and occupied by Israel in the 1967 war.
The Palestinians say it is the stronghold of their future state. Most countries consider Israeli settlements on Palestinian land to be illegal. Israel disputes this.
Britain’s Unilever, owner of Ben & Jerry’s since 2000, has confirmed that the decision was made and announced by Ben & Jerry’s and its independent board of directors.
“The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a very complex and sensitive issue,” Unilever said in a statement.
“As a global company, Unilever brands are available in more than 190 countries, and in each of these countries, our priority is to serve consumers by providing them with essential products that contribute to their health, well-being and their pleasure, “she added.
He also said he remained “fully committed” to maintaining a presence in Israel.
Ben & Jerry’s – founded in 1978 by friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield – is used to campaigning on social issues such as LGBT rights and climate change.
Vermonters for Justice in Palestine said in a statement that the company’s latest move does not respond to “outrage at the actions of the Israeli government against Palestinians living in the occupied territories.”
Instead, she said, the company should “withdraw completely from Israel.”
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