FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ariel Gold | [email protected] | 510 599 5330
Danaka Katovich | [email protected] | 925 336 6221
CODEPINK welcomes Ben & Jerry’s announcement, made Monday, July 19 that the company’s plans to end the sales of their ice cream in Occupied Palestinian Territory. CODEPINK congratulates the Vermonters for Justice in Palestine, and the entire Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement, for their tireless efforts and leadership on the issue.
“This is a huge win for BDS and Palestinian groups working to get Ben & Jerry’s to stop selling their products in illegal Israeli settlements West Bank. It shows that boycotting is certainly an effective way of protest, and gives us hope that more companies will continue to follow suit.” Ariel Gold, national co-director of CODEPINK said in response to the announcement.
Vermonters for Justice in Palestine began campaigning in 2013 for Ben & Jerry’s to end its complicity in Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise. The announcement on July 19, 2021, follows moves by other companies — Sodastream, Ahava, and more — to end business in the settlements in response to BDS campaigns.
In the statement accompanied by the tweet Ben & Jerry’s put out, the company said that selling ice cream in the West Bank is “inconsistent with our values”. They also announced in the same statement that Ben & Jerrys will stay in Israel “through a different arrangement”.
“Ben & Jerry’s included in the statement that they will be remaining in Israel,” Danaka Katovich, a Middle East campaign coordinator for CODEPINK said, “I hope Ben & Jerry’s continues to listen to Palestinians and their demands moving forward and will recognize that Israel’s system of apartheid exists not only in the Occupied Territories but from the Jordan river to the Mediterranean sea.
CODEPINK remains dedicated to the belief that boycotts and divestment are effective forms of protest. CODEPINK supports Ben & Jerry’s decision to stop selling their products in the West Bank settlements and hopes they will continue to listen to demands by BDS activists and Palestinians on the ground and in the diaspora advocating for their right to return and the end to Israeli apartheid.
