NEW YORK: The independent board of Ben & Jerry’s said the conflict in Gaza is a genocide, escalating a bitter feud between the ice cream maker and its longtime London-based corporate parent Unilever.
“Ben & Jerry’s believes in human rights and advocates for peace, and we join with those around the world who denounce the genocide in Gaza,” the board said in a statement viewed by Reuters. “We stand with all who raise their voices against genocide in Gaza — from petition-signers to street marchers to those risking arrest.”
Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s have been at odds since at least 2021 when the Chubby Hubby ice cream maker said it would stop selling in the Israel-occupied West Bank. Ben & Jerry’s sued its owner last year over its alleged attempts to silence it on Gaza and criticize US President Donald Trump. Its statement on Gaza is unusual for a major US brand.
A Unilever spokesperson said that the comments reflect the views of the independent social mission board of Ben & Jerry’s, and they do not speak for anyone other than themselves.
“We call for peace in the region and for relief for all those whose lives have been impacted,” the spokesperson said.
Unilever asked a US judge to dismiss Ben & Jerry’s lawsuit. The company is also in the process of separating out its ice cream business, including Vermont-based Ben & Jerry’s, to an independent company this summer.
Ben & Jerry’s has said its year 2000 merger agreement with Unilever gave its independent board “primary responsibility” to pursue the company’s social mission. The crux of the dispute between Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever is how much leeway the board actually has.
Unilever’s Ben & Jerry’s calls war in Gaza a ‘genocide’
https://arab.news/y9nrx
Unilever’s Ben & Jerry’s calls war in Gaza a ‘genocide’
- We stand with all who raise their voices against genocide in Gaza: statement
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un signals continued missile development in next 5 years
- Kim said “the country’s missile and shell production sector is of paramount importance in bolstering war deterrent,” according to KCNA
SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signaled the country will continue to develop missiles in the next five years, as he visited major munitions enterprises in the last quarter of 2025, state media KCNA said on Friday.
Kim said “the country’s missile and shell production sector is of paramount importance in bolstering war deterrent,” according to KCNA.
Kim ratified draft documents for the modernization of major munitions enterprises to be submitted to a key party congress expected to be held in early 2026, KCNA said, which will set a development plan for North Korea for the next five years.
The KCNA report follows Thursday’s reveal of Kim overseeing the construction of an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine with his daughter, a potential heir, and the test-firing of long-range surface-to-air missiles.
