Israeli PM warns Ben & Jerry parent Unilever of ‘severe consequences’ over sales ban

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told the head of Ben & Jerry’s parent company, Unilever, Tuesday that the ice cream maker’s move to halt sales in “the Occupied Palestinian Territory” could carry “severe consequences.”

“Prime Minister Bennett spoke with Alan Jope, CEO of Unilever which owns Ben & Jerry’s and made it clear that he views with utmost gravity the decision by Ben & Jerry’s to boycott Israel and added that this is a subsidiary of Unilever, which has taken a clearly anti-Israel step,” the prime minister’s office said on Twitter. “Prime Minister Bennett emphasized that from the perspective of the State of Israel, this is an action that has severe consequences, including legal, and it will take strong action against any boycott directed against its citizens.”