"Despite settlement, activists see win in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream case", 23 Dec 2022

Ben and Jerry's has settled a lawsuit against its New Jersey-based parent company, Unilever plc, over the licensing of its product in occupied Palestinian land.

But the winners and losers in this case depend on whom you ask.

The ice cream maker wanted to end sales in the West Bank, saying Israeli occupation and resulting human rights violations were inconsistent with its values. The settlement terms weren’t disclosed, but the Israeli license holder said that his deal with Unilever is unchanged and he will still sell the product...

The federal court settlement last week capped off a contentious battle that began in July 2021, when Ben & Jerry’s announced it wouldn’t renew Zinger’s license, because it didn’t want to do business in settlements.

Ben and Jerry’s Jewish co-founders, Bennett Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, defended their decision in  a New York Times opinion piece last year, adding their voices to a growing segment of progressive Jewish Americans who oppose the occupation...

Les critiques de Ben & Jerry's ont salué le règlement comme une victoire pour Israël et un avertissement aux autres entreprises sur les conséquences qu'elles pourraient subir si elles s'engagent dans un boycott.

But activists for Palestinian rights don’t see it that way. Tanya Keilani, communications director at the Institute for Middle East Understanding, a California-based nonprofit, said Ben & Jerry’s steadfast commitment to Palestinian rights was good news.