Progressive, virtue-signaling Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company faced a wave of backlash on Monday after announcing plans to boycott Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, or what it termed “Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
“We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT),” the company stated in a notice it posted on its website.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett wrote, “Ben & Jerry’s has decided to brand itself as the anti-Israel ice cream. This decision is morally wrong and I believe that it will become clear that it is also commercially wrong.” He added, “There are many ice cream brands, but only one Jewish state.”
Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote, “Now we Israelis know which ice cream NOT to buy”:
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid wrote, “Ben & Jerry’s decision represents shameful surrender to antisemitism, to BDS and to all that is wrong with the anti-Israel and anti-Jewish discourse. We will not be silent.”
“Hmmm are you ending your sales in occupied north Cyprus or in occupied Kurdistan too?” mocked Yair Netanyahu, son of Israel’s former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Very poor & misguided decision by Ben & Jerry’s,” wrote Jason Greenblatt, former White House Middle East Envoy under President Trump. “These actions harm the conversation & harm Jews & Arabs who live there. Boycotts like this never worked & drive chances for peace further away,” he added. “Also, referring to it as ‘Occupied Palestinian Territory’ is a false & misleading label.”