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Ben and Jerry’s founders struggle to defend West Bank boycott in cringeworthy interview
The pair were asked why they don't apply similar boycotts to US states they disagree with
October 11, 2021 16:32
The pair were asked why they don't apply similar boycotts to US states they disagree with
October 11, 2021 16:32Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the multi-millionaire entrepreneurs and founders of the global ice cream brand have struggled to explain their West Bank ice cream boycott in a televised interview.
The pair, appearing on the HBO network in the US, were asked about their boycott of the West Bank.
Defending the company’s policy to not sell their products beyond the Green Line, Mr. Cohen said: “We were always in favour of the two-state solution, the policy of the Israeli government has been to endorse the settlements in the occupied territories that keep making it harder and harder to actually have a two-state solution.
“I don’t view it as withholding money. We just don’t want our ice cream sold in the occupied territories”
Interviewer Alexi McCammond from American political news site Axios then asked the two founders about the boycott and whether they would extend it to all of Israel given their disagreements with the policies of the current government.
“Well, I disagree with the U.S. government, but we couldn’t stop selling in the U.S. I think it’s fine to be involved with a country or to be a citizen of a country and protest some of the country’s actions.
Ms. McCammond then asked why they continue sell their ice cream in states like Georgia and Texas whose policies on issues like voting rights and abortion laws they have been publicly critical of, leaving Mr. Cohen struggling to answer.
In reply to this line of questioning, Mr. Cohen simply said: “I don’t know… it’s an interesting question”
Ben and Jerry’s founders struggle to explain their West Bank boycott pic.twitter.com/CoJEv5wCj0
— The Jewish Chronicle (@JewishChron) October 11, 2021
The two men were also asked in the interview whether the accusations of anti-semitism they received after the boycott were painful for them. In response Mr. Greenfield said of the incident “when it happened, it’s still painful. I understand people being upset. It’s a very emotional issue for a lot of people, and it’s a very painful issue for a lot of people.”
Mr. Cohen described it differently however, saying that it was “totally fine” and describing antisemitism claims levelled against him as “absurd” saying “What, I’m anti-Jewish? I’m a Jew. My family is Jewish. My friends are Jewish.”
Ben & Jerry's co-founder Jerry Greenfield tells @alexi that "misinformation" is causing states to divest from its parent company Unilever:
— Axios (@axios) October 11, 2021
"Ben & Jerry's and Unilever are being characterized as boycotting Israel, which is not the case at all." #AxiosOnHBO pic.twitter.com/AUkQ0L5qNp
Earlier this year Ben& Jerry’s received significant attention after they announced they would no longer sell ice cream in the West Bank.
In a statement, Ben & Jerry’s said: “We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). We also hear and recognize the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners.
“We have a longstanding partnership with our licensee, who manufactures Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region. We have been working to change this, and so we have informed our licensee that we will not renew the license agreement when it expires at the end of next year.”
Ben & Jerry’s confirmed it will continue to sell its products throughout the rest of Israel “through a different arrangement”
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