Ben & Jerry’s parent firm Unilever ‘firmly committed’ to Israel

CEO Alan Jope said Ben & Jerry’s, which has a long history of social activism, had made the decision on its own.

The chief executive of Unilever on Thursday said the global consumer goods giant remains “fully committed” to doing business in Israel, distancing himself from this week’s announcement by the company’s Ben & Jerry’s ice cream brand to stop serving Israeli settlements in the occupied territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. But CEO Alan Jope gave no indication that Unilever would force Ben & Jerry’s to roll back its controversial decision. Ben & Jerry’s announcement is one of the strongest steps by a well-known company against Israel’s settlements, which are widely seen by the international community as illegal. The Israeli government has condemned the decision, accusing the company of joining a Palestinian-led boycott campaign against Israel. It has urged 35 United States states with anti-boycott laws to punish Unilever.