Current:Home > BackBen & Jerry's board chair calls for "immediate" ceasefire in Gaza-InfoLens
Ben & Jerry's board chair calls for "immediate" ceasefire in Gaza
View Date:2024-12-23 16:20:40
Ben & Jerry's leadership is calling for a "permanent and immediate ceasefire" in Gaza, with its board of directors chair decrying that the "corporate world has been silent" about the conflict.
Ben & Jerry's board chair Anuradha Mittal on Tuesday told the Financial Times that the ice cream maker's call for peace in Gaza is "consistent with the company's history and values." The interview marks one of the few instances when a U.S. company has publicly supported an end to the Israel-Hamas war, the FT noted.
"From Iraq to Ukraine [the company] has consistently stood up for these principles," Mittal told the publication. "Today is no different as we call for peace and a permanent and immediate ceasefire."
Mittal is also the founder and executive director of the Oakland Institute, an advocacy group focused on human rights, environmental conservation policies and other issues.
Ben & Jerry's call for a halt to fighting in Gaza marks a rare instance of a name brand explicitly supporting an to end Israel's military activities in Gaza. Companies including Starbucks and McDonald's have reluctantly made statements on the conflict after facing intense public backlash and boycotts for their perceived stances.
Ben & Jerry's has a long history of openly taking progressive stances on social and political issues, a habit that helped define the Vermont-based brand in its early years. But that activism has also occasionally cause conflict with corporate parent Unilever, which bought Ben & Jerry's in 2000.
In 2022, Ben & Jerry's sued Unilever for selling its business in Israel and the country's contest West Bank region to a local licensee, arguing that the sale was at odds to Unilever's promise to end sales of its products in the region in 2021 as a show of support for the Palestinian cause.
The disagreement culminated in Unilever freezing the salaries of Ben & Jerry's boardmembers as a "pressure tactic" to force the company to acquiesce to the Israeli ice cream deal, Reuters reported.
Unilever did not immediately reply to CBS MoneyWatch's request for comment.
- In:
- Palestine
- Israel
- Unilever
- West Bank
- Ben & Jerry's
Elizabeth Napolitano is a freelance reporter at CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and technology news. She also writes for CoinDesk. Before joining CBS, she interned at NBC News' BizTech Unit and worked on The Associated Press' web scraping team.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Take the Day Off
- Republican Dan Newhouse wins reelection to US House in Washington
- Officer injured at Ferguson protest shows improvement, transferred to rehab
- A pregnant woman sues for the right to an abortion in challenge to Kentucky’s near-total ban
- NFL Week 10 injury report: Live updates on active, inactive players for Sunday's games
- Guns smuggled from the US are blamed for a surge in killings on more Caribbean islands
- Can I take on 2 separate jobs in the same company? Ask HR
- Diamond Sports Group will offer single-game pricing to stream NBA and NHL games starting next month
- Glen Powell Addresses Rumor He’ll Replace Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible Franchise
- Officer injured at Ferguson protest shows improvement, transferred to rehab
Ranking
- Black, red or dead: How Omaha became a hub for black squirrel scholarship
- Wendi McLendon-Covey talks NBC sitcom 'St. Denis Medical' and hospital humor
- As CFP rankings punish SEC teams, do we smell bias against this proud and mighty league?
- 13 Skincare Gifts Under $50 That Are Actually Worth It
- Shel Talmy, produced hits by The Who, The Kinks and other 1960s British bands, dead at 87
- Deion Sanders doubles down on vow to 99-year-old Colorado superfan
- Denzel Washington teases retirement — and a role in 'Black Panther 3'
- About Charles Hanover
Recommendation
-
Indiana man is found guilty of murder in the 2017 killings of 2 teenage girls
-
Roster limits in college small sports put athletes on chopping block while coaches look for answers
-
When is 'The Golden Bachelorette' finale? Date, time, where to watch Joan Vassos' big decision
-
Contained, extinguished and mopping up: Here’s what some common wildfire terms mean
-
Rita Ora pays tribute to Liam Payne at MTV Europe Music Awards: 'He brought so much joy'
-
Shawn Mendes quest for self-discovery is a quiet triumph: Best songs on 'Shawn' album
-
Skai Jackson announces pregnancy with first child: 'My heart is so full!'
-
Investigators believe Wisconsin kayaker faked his own death before fleeing to eastern Europe