Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Greenfield resigns over dispute with Unilever on Israel-Hamas war

Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of the popular U.S. ice cream producer Ben & Jerry’s, has resigned from the company due to strong disagreements with the parent company Unilever over the war between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas. There have been tensions between Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever due to the Middle East conflict since 2021. 

Greenfield who is a vocal critic of Israel, claimed in a letter that Unilever has “silenced” his efforts to brand Israel’s self-defense operations against Hamas in Gaza as genocide. Greenfield therefore argued in a letter that he could no longer continue in the company "in good conscience" due to the ongoing war in Gaza. 

"That independence existed in no small part because of the unique merger agreement Ben and I negotiated with Unilever," Greenfield wrote in the letter. 

Ben Cohen, Greenfield’s former business partner, explained the co-founder’s decision to leave the company. 

“Jerry has a really big heart, and this conflict with Unilever was really kind of tearing him apart. So he felt like he had no choice but to resign,” Cohen said on Wednesday in an interview with CNN. “Jerry’s kind of sad that it’s come to this, but part of him is feeling a sense of relief that he’s no longer in this intense conflict,” he added.

A spokesperson for Unilever’s ice cream unit, Magnum Ice Cream Company, stated that the company "disagrees with Greenfield's perspective and has sought to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry's powerful values-based position in the world."

While Cohen is still in the company, he reportedly requested last week to "free Ben & Jerry's" in order to preserve its social values. However, the request was rejected by the new Magnum CEO Peter Kulve. 

Ben & Jerry’s activism in the Middle East predates the current war in Gaza. In July 2021, Ben & Jerry’s decided to boycott Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, internationally known as the West Bank.

“I am proud of @benandjerrys for taking a stance to end sale of its ice cream in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” said Anuradha Mittal, chair of Ben & Jerry’s board of directors, on 𝕏. 

“This action is not anti-Semitic. I am not anti-Semitic. The vile hate that has been thrown at me does [not] intimidate me. Pls work for peace – not hatred!” Mittal claimed. 

The same month, Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen explained their position on Israel in a New York Times piece titled “We’re Ben and Jerry. Men of Ice Cream, Men of Principle.” Greenfield and Cohen denied accusations of antisemitism and declared themselves to be proud Israel supporters who disagree with some of Jerusalem’s policies. 

“But it’s possible to support Israel and oppose some of its policies, just as we’ve opposed policies of the U.S. government,” they argued. “As such, we unequivocally support the decision of the company to end business in the occupied territories, which a majority of the international community, including the United Nations, has deemed an illegal occupation."