Ben & Jerry’s Israel Licensee Launches ‘Star of David’ Flavor Amid Boycott Row
June 28, 2026
THE FOUNDERS STOOD FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. UNILEVER CHOSE PROFITS.
Ben & Jerry’s founders said they didn’t want their ice cream sold in illegal Israeli settlements.
So what happened?
Their own brand was used to do exactly that.
The controversy surrounding Ben & Jerry’s has taken another dramatic turn after the brand’s Israeli licensee launched a new “Star of David” flavour, a move widely viewed as a direct political statement following years of conflict over the company’s stance on Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
The launch comes after Ben & Jerry’s original founders publicly opposed the sale of their products in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, arguing that continuing to sell there was inconsistent with the company’s long-standing commitment to human rights.
When parent company Unilever later allowed the Israeli business to continue selling the ice cream under the Ben & Jerry’s name, despite the founders’ objections, it ignited legal battles, public criticism and accusations that the founders’ ethical position had been deliberately undermined.
Every purchase is a choice.
Every dollar is a vote.
And if enough people refuse to buy, even the biggest companies start listening.
No justice. No excuses. No ice cream.
Time to hit Unilever where it hurts most, its profits.
Boycott. Don’t reward hypocrisy.
@haaretzcom
#BoycottUnilever #BenAndJerrys #Unilever #BDS #FreePalestine
English Script:
Linda Dayan: Have you heard of Ben and Jerry’s new Zionist ice cream flavor? A new Ben and Jerry’s flavor is offering Israelis a taste of the Promised Land. You may be thinking that the flavor and the Star of David shaped chocolate chunks throughout it are a strange choice for Ben and Jerry’s, a company that’s known for its pretty staunchly leftist positions. The company’s founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, have been outspoken opponents of the occupation of the Palestinian territories. Just last year, Cohen even announced a watermelon flavored Peace in Palestine themed treat. But when it comes down to it, this milk and honey flavor only really exists because of the opposition from the original Ben and Jerry’s. In 2021, they moved to ban the sale of their ice cream from West Bank settlements. Its parent company, Unilever, tried to block this boycott. This culminated in a lawsuit by Ben and Jerry against the conglomerate, alleging a silencing of the brand’s activism. Jerry Greenfield, the second co-founder, even resigned. While all this was going down, Ben and Jerry’s Israel distanced themselves from the international brand. Unilever sold the country’s branch to the Israeli licensee, who now operates the Israeli brand independently. They keep the same recipes and raw materials as before. They just don’t have any financial or business ties to Ben and Jerry’s International. This means that Milk and Honey is an Israeli exclusive flavor from an Israeli exclusive brand. It just happens to share the name, flavors, and overall branding as the one started by a couple of Jewish radicals in Vermont.
