New York Governor Kathy Hochul has notified Ben & Jerry's that she's looking into barring the super-woke ice cream company fro...
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has notified Ben & Jerry's that she's looking into barring the super-woke ice cream company from receiving state investments after it refused to abandon its boycott against Israel.
New York state is prohibited from investing in companies who engage in boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaigns against Israel under an anti-boycott executive order prolonged by Hochul and first issued by disgraced ex-Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2016.
The state's Office of General Services warned Ben & Jerry's on Friday that it now has 90 days to provide the state with compelling reasons as to why the company should not be subject to a prohibition on state investments and against contracting with it or its subsidiaries.
This summer, the trademark announced it would stop selling its products in Israeli-controlled Palestinian territories, but has since maintained its social cause is not part of a BDS.
The Empire State is home to the largest Jewish population in America. More than 1,538,000 of the city's 19 million residents are Jewish.
Ben & Jerry's have yet to respond to the notice from Hochul's office.
Governor Kathy Hochul notified Ben & Jerry's that the company might be barred from state investments after it refused to stop its boycott against Israel (File picture)
B&J has 90 days to prove why the company should not be penalized for its refusal to sell its products in Occupied Palestinian Territory
The decision would mean Unilever has 90 days to force Ben & Jerry's to end its boycott or face prohibition on New York state investments in the company and against contracting with it or its subsidiaries. Pictured Ben & Jerry's main factory in Beer Tuvia, Israel on July 22
New York Office of Global Services deputy counsel Bradley Allen also issued a letter to Ben & Jerry's parent company Unilever CEO Alan Jope, saying that the state might add Ben & Jerry's to the blacklist of companies supporting BDS.
'OGS has determined that Unilever PLC, through its subsidiary Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc, appears to have engaged in boycott, divestment or sanction actions targeting Israel that may require Unilever PC to be included on a list of companies or institutions that affected state entities are required to divest from,' Allen wrote on November 12.
On July 19, Ben & Jerry's announced it would end its sales in regions such as the West Bank because 'it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).'
The company had also announced in the statement that it would not be renewing its license agreement with the Israeli company that manufactures and distributes the ice cream in Israel.
Bennett Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, who co-founded the ice cream chain in 1978 and sold it to the British conglomerate Unilever in 2000, endorsed the decision in an op-ed for the New York Times.
'We are the founders of Ben & Jerry's. We are also proud Jews. It's part of who we are and how we've identified ourselves for our whole lives. As our company began to expand internationally, Israel was one of our first overseas markets. We were then, and remain today, supporters of the State of Israel,' Cohen and Greenfield wrote.
Bennett Cohen and Jerry's Greenfield, who co-founded the ice cream chain in 1978 and sold it to the British conglomerate Unilever in 2000, endorsed the decision in an op-ed for the New York Times
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli (left) said on October 29 New York would divest $111million in pension funds from the company and blacklist it for engaging in BSD. City Comptroller Scott Stringer (right), on the other hand, said that while he's been 'monitoring' the situation, he won't take any actions just yet after meeting with CEO Jope
'But it's possible to support Israel and oppose some of its policies, just as we've opposed policies of the U.S. government.'
The company has faced previous penalizations but has remained defiant in its negative to abandon the boycott.
In October, New York pulled $111million in investments out of Unilever.
'After a thorough review, the New York State Common Retirement Fund will divest its equity holdings in Unilever PLC. Our review of the activities of the company, and its subsidiary Ben & Jerry's, found they engaged in BDS activities under our pension fund's policy,' state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said on October 29.
City Comptroller Scott Stringer, on the other hand, said that while he's been 'monitoring' the situation, he won't take any actions just yet after meeting with CEO Jope.
'...I underscored the potential for risk that this decision creates for shareholders and as a Jew, I reiterated my opposition to BDS actions. Mr.Jope affirmed Unilever's full commitment to Israel and the company's opposition to BDS activity. Ben & Jerry's current licensing agreement will expire in December 2022 and discussions will continue in the interim. I will continue engaging and monitoring the situation for any impact on the retirement security of our pensioners,' Stringer said in a November 11 statement.
Ben & Jerry's, however, has contended that its refusal to sell ice cream in Israeli-occupied Palestinian regions is not a boycott against the whole state of Israel.
'Unilever has a strong and longstanding commitment to our business in Israel. We employ nearly 2,000 people in the country across our four factories and head office, and we have invested approximately $250 million in the Israeli market over the last decade,' the company said in a statement.
In August, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis placed Unilever on the state's list of 'scrutinized companies.'
In the past, B&J has engaged in other political causes.
In September, it announced a new ice cream flavor in support of a $10 billion bill by Rep. Cori Bush that would replace police officers with social workers and other first responders in incidents of mental health and substance abuse.
Unilever CEO Alan Jope (pictured above in New York in 2019) said that while his company remains 'fully committed' to Israel, it cannot force its subsidiary, Ben & Jerry's, to reverse its decision to stop selling ice cream in Jewish settlements on the Israeli-occupied West Bank
In the wake of George Floyd's killing, in June 2020, the brand spoke out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement after a wave of protests. It encouraged people to 'tackle systemic and institutionalized racism,' and said: 'All lives do matter. But all lives will not matter until black lives matter.'
In August 2020, the company faced a boycott in the UK and was slammed for 'virtue signaling' after it hit out at Home Secretary Priti Patel over her treatment of migrants crossing the English Channel.
In September 2020, the brand launched a podcast about American white supremacy, titled Who We Are: a Chronicle of Racism in America.
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