The US State Department said in a press briefing Tuesday that it ‘firmly rejects’ Boycott Divestment Sanctions Movement (BDS) amid Ben & Jerry’s Israel Withdrawal.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the Biden administration “firmly rejects” the BDS Movement amid Ben & Jerry’s corporate decision to discontinue ice-cream sales in ‘Occupied Palestinian Territory,’ by which it meant the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Price said that while the administration will not react to the actions of a private company, “we firmly reject the BDS movement, which unfairly singles out Israel.”

It should be noted that the Vermont-based ice cream company Ben & Jerry's announced that it will end its sales in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In a statement posted on its website, the company said: “We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). We also hear and recognize the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners.”

“We have a longstanding partnership with our licensee, who manufactures Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region,” it added.

“We have been working to change this, and so we have informed our licensee that we will not renew the license agreement when it expires at the end of next year.”

The company pointed that while its products will no longer be sold in the occupied territories, it “will stay in Israel through a different arrangement.”

 

Source : Safa