Ben & Jerry’s Israel notes with satisfaction the significant decline in the global share of Unilever, the owner of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, since announcing the termination of the contract with them due to the concessionaire’s refusal in Israel to boycott Judea and Samaria.
In the last six months, since the announcement of the end of the concession in late 2022 due to pro-Palestinian ideological identification and ongoing pressure from boycott organizations, Unilever shares have plunged 20.7 percent, translating into a $ 26 billion loss. The Israeli company notes that for comparison, the share of the major competitor Nestle rose by five percent during that period.
The Israeli ice cream factory also said that in addition to market volatility and other crises experienced by the company, the negative trend is the result of hard work by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Jewish communities abroad, waging a wide-ranging struggle against Unilever Global. Cooperation with the boycott movement on Israel attracts investment in the company. Thus, the New York State Pension Fund withdrew $ 111 million from its investments in Unilever; Florida attracted $ 139 million in shares and New Jersey $ 182 million.
Avi Singer, the owner of Ben & Jerry’s Israel, said following the stock dive that “this is a tremendous boost to the stubborn struggle I am waging these days against Unilever’s unfounded demand not to sell ice cream in all parts of Israel. I want to thank Israeli citizens who continue to support the Israeli plant But while the State of Israel, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requires the countries of the world to enforce the boycott law, it itself should have imposed immediate sanctions against Unilever, which operates without interruption in Israel and receives unprecedented regulatory benefits. On the other hand, the IDF will continue to purchase products worth millions of shekels a year from the company. “