John,

MASSIVE PROGRESS! Ben & Jerry’s announced it will stop selling ice cream
in the Occupied Palestinian Territory thanks to pressure from SumOfUs
members like you.

SumOfUs had been in contact with Ben & Jerry’s since 50,000 SumOfUs
members like you called on the corporation to take a stand against 70
years of on-going apartheid, colonization, and daily violation of human
rights of Palestinian by Israeli forces. We know our community made a huge
difference in getting Ben & Jerry’s historic announcement -- multiple
sources within the company said your voices had an impact on this
announcement finally being made.

Make no mistake about it, this is not just about ice cream -- the day
after the announcement, the Prime Minister of Israel said Ben & Jerry's
decision will have “severe consequences”. His government then sent a
classified cable to its missions and embassies calling on its envoys to
ramp up pressure on Ben & Jerry’s.

Ben & Jerry’s knew this aggressive reaction was coming when it made this
announcement. But after Israeli Forces murdered 256 Palestinians,
including 66 children, in the latest attacks in May -- Ben & Jerry’s Board
of Directors and staff took concrete action in support of Palestinian
justice.

SumOfUs members like you were also instrumental in getting Airbnb to
delist from the Occupied Palestinian Territory. That was, until Airbnb
succumbed to the pressure from right-wing Israeli forces and reversed its
monumental decision. We learned from that experience that we need to have
the back of companies who dare to challenge the Israeli state. That is why
we are calling on you to send a message of support for Ben & Jerry’s Board
of Directors and staff who took this heroic stand for Palestinian rights
in line with international law.

[ [link removed] ]Ben & Jerry’s board of directors and staff: Thank you for your decision
to stop selling ice cream in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Ben & Jerry’s would not have made their historic announcement if Palestine
solidarity groups such as Vermonters for Justice in Palestine had not been
campaigning on this for over a decade. And the price these groups have
paid is facing vile hate on a day-to-day basis.

Since the announcement, the racist bullying has intensified, with the main
target switched to Ben & Jerry’s Chair of the Board who led the company to
make its announcement.

To add to the pain, Unilever, the multinational corporation who bought Ben
& Jerry’s in 2000, went behind the Board’s back. The acquisition contract
for Ben & Jerry’s said that its Board of Directors would be independent
over the company's social mission, brand integrity, and policies. Yet
Unilever, which has been hands-off in the last two decades on the Board’s
decisions, succumbed to the pressure of nationalists, and is trying to get
Ben & Jerry’s to stay in Israel.

Ben & Jerry’s decision is a massive step forward, but this campaign isn’t
over yet. Officially, Ben & Jerry’s announced that it will leave the
Occupied Palestinian Territory when its contract with its Israeli licensee
runs out in 15 months. We also know that Ben & Jerry’s intention is for
the company to leave Israel entirely at the end of 2022. But until then,
Ben & Jerry’s will be up against right-wing Israeli nationalists who will
use everything in their power to stop the company from leaving Israel.

[ [link removed] ]Send a message of support to Ben & Jerry’s Board of Directors and staff
for their heroic stand for Palestinian rights.

Right-wing nationalists have had such fever-pitched responses to Ben &
Jerry’s decision because after Israel’s latest massacre, corporations are
now joining millions of people around the world in the fight for
Palestinian rights. The nationalists know that the corporate movement to
exit apartheid South Africa in the 80s could happen to the apartheid
regime in Israel today if more companies join Ben & Jerry’s.

And we know other corporations are considering exiting Palestine -- we’ve
been busy meeting with other high-level executives to discuss their
company’s plans to join Ben & Jerry’s.

SumOfUs has been working hard to build a movement of corporations to take
a stand for Palestinian rights and stop the violation of international
law, and Ben & Jerry’s decision is a pivotal moment in this ongoing global
campaign. So for now, let’s celebrate Ben & Jerry’s decision to follow
through with its decision to exit the Occupied Palestinian Territory and
eventually the whole of Israel.



Thanks for all that you do,
Angus, Ibrahim, and the team at SumOfUs


More information:

[ [link removed] ]Ben & Jerry's withdraws sales from Israeli settlements but clashes with
parent company Unilever, NBC News, July 19th, 2021

[ [link removed] ]What the Ben & Jerry’s Decision Reveals About Israel, The Atlantic,
July 23rd, 2021

[ [link removed] ]We’re Ben and Jerry. Men of Ice Cream, Men of Principle, New York
Times, July 28th, 2021

 

 

SumOfUs is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.

Please help keep SumOfUs strong by chipping in $3. [link removed]