Anti-Israel Bias
Nine other countries—the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Austria, Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Israel—announced that they will not be attending the conference.
Nevertheless, Anuradha Mittal has posted anti-Israel content and support for the BDS movement on her personal Twitter account, including calling for the U.S. government to end aid to Israel and supporting Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and her anti-Semitic rhetoric.
Unilever’s North American headquarters are in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and employs 1,600 people.
It kicked off a global advocacy effort that features an online campaign urging people to call on Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company, Unilever, not to align with the BDS hate movement targeting Israel.
“Anti-Semitism is not just a Jewish problem. Anti-Semitism is everyone’s problem. Our Jewish neighbors cannot be left to fend off this scourge by themselves. If we do nothing, evil will thrive, and it will rule the day,” said Pastor John Hagee.
Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center announces plans to assert control of the Ben & Jerry’s trademark in Judea and Samaria.
“By virtue of its wayward subsidiary, Unilever—a massive international conglomerate—risks potentially crushing financial consequences in terms of its ability to receive investments from, or do business with, the majority of U.S. states,” said Brooke Goldstein of the Lawfare Project.
Town Superintendent Donald Clavin said the ice-cream maker’s statement “showcases the company’s anti-Israeli stance” and is supported by the “BDS movement—a movement I consider anti-Semitic.”
“The Israeli president should thank Ben & Jerry’s,” says the Palestinian Authority’s foreign ministry, warning of a “total boycott” unless Israel works to end “occupation.”
The interior minister urges consumers not to boycott the Israel franchisee and says the government is working to overturn the parent company’s “anti-Semitic” decision to halt sales in certain areas.
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan said that he has written to 35 U.S. governors, noting that the decision by the company violates individual states’ anti-BDS legislation.
“No faculty member, no teacher, no staff should have that kind of conduct,” said Alyza Lewin, president of the Brandeis Center. “It should be unacceptable.”
