Gov. Ron Desantis Wants Florida to Boycott Ben & Jerry’s Over Its Stance on Israel-Palestine Conflict
A labourer works on a production line filling ice-cream pots at the Ben & Jerry's factory in Be'er Tuvia in southern Israel, on July 21, 2021. - Ben & Jerry's announced that it will stop selling ice cream in the Israel-occupied Palestinian territories since it was "inconsistent with our values", although it said it planned to keep selling its products in Israel. The West Bank and East Jerusalem have been under Israeli control since 1967. Roughly 475,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank, in communities widely regarded as illegal under international law, alongside some 2.8 million Palestinians. EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wanted the state to put Ben & Jerry's ice cream and its parent company Unilever on a state watch list after the company decided to end sales of its product within Israel's occupied Palestinian territories.

DeSantis sent a letter to the State of Board Administration on Thursday, July 22, asking to immediately put the company on the "Continued Examination Companies that Boycott Israel List," WFLA reported.

In the letter, DeSantis said the state of Florida does not tolerate discrimination against "the State of Israel or the Israeli people, including boycotts and divestments targeting Israel."

Florida Rep. Randy Fine said that Florida has the right to boycott any companies that boycott Israel. Fine is the only Jewish Republican in the state legislature.

Fine said this does not affect any individual consumer's right, adding that people should be able to buy whatever they want from whomever they want. However, he added that the state of Florida also has a right to decide who it buys products from, as well.

The ice cream maker released a statement saying they believe it is inconsistent with their value for the product to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Ben & Jerry's Boycott

A day after the company released its statement, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had told the head of Unilever that Israel intends to "act aggressively" against Ben & Jerry's over its decision, WTSP reported.

DeSantis had echoed Israeli's statements, saying that the state of Florida does not tolerate discrimination against the State of Israel or the Israeli people.

By putting the ice cream maker company on a temporary list of the "Scrutinized Companies that Boycott Israel List," Florida's pension funds could no longer be used to invest in Ben & Jerry's or its parent company.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said Florida law prohibits the state from investing in firms that discriminate against Israel.

Patronis noted that this act could be done by refusing to deal with or end business activities in a discriminatory matter with the company, Wink News reported.

Ben & Jerry's Decision

Ben & Jerry's decision is one of the strongest steps against Israel's settlements and is also seen as illegal on the international stage.

Ben & Jerry's has a long history of practicing social activism and had always made its decision on its own, according to the chief executive officer of Unilever, Alan Jope.

He noted that the matter is a complex and sensitive issue that prompts very strong feelings. Jope said the message he wants to convey is that Unilever remains fully committed to its business in Israel.

Associated Press reported that the firm's factory is in southern Israel, which is not in a settlement. It means that it is targeting consumers as opposed to a production facility.

Israeli supermarket chains, a major distribution channel for Ben & Jerry's, operate in the settlements.

Israel does not set apart the settlements and the rest of its territory. Israel laws also stop local companies from boycotting settlements.

Gilad Erdan, Israel's ambassador to the U.S. and United Nations, sent a letter to the governors of 35 U.S. states calling for them to sanction Unilever under anti-boycott laws.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

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