Unilever Sells Ben & Jerry’s Israel After West Bank Dispute

  • Ice cream maker’s Israel business sold to local licensee
  • Ben & Jerry’s says it doesn’t agree with the decision to sell

A person buys Ben & Jerry's ice cream in Jerusalem.

Photographer: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images
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Unilever Plc has sold its Ben & Jerry’s business in Israel following a storm of criticism when the ice cream brand said it would halt sales in Jewish West Bank settlements.

The Anglo-Dutch consumer giant saidBloomberg Terminal its current local licensee partner, Avi Zinger, the owner of American Quality Products Ltd., will now have full control to sell Ben & Jerry’s under its Hebrew and Arabic names throughout Israel and the West Bank. This will “ensure the ice cream stays available to all consumers,” the company said.