Ben & Jerry’s ends two-month silence on social media

Ben & Jerry’s has ended its two-month silence on social media.

The ice cream company tweeted Monday morning that it will end sales of its ice cream in occupied Palestinian territory. In a lengthier statement, the brand said it is “inconsistent” with its values to sell its ice cream there.

Ben & Jerry’s added that it recognises concerns shared by fans and partners. 

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

Although Ben & Jerry’s will no longer be sold in occupied Palestinian territory, it will be sold in Israel through a different arrangement, the brand said in a statement. 

Last week, The Boston Globe looked into why Ben & Jerry’s stopped tweeting in May, when the Israeli government was in armed conflict with Hamas and other militant groups. Ben & Jerry’s became part of the conversation as consumers criticised its business dealings in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Social activism has been in Ben & Jerry’s DNA from the start, so its silence on social media was noticeable in a period that included Pride and Juneteenth.  

Ben & Jerry's declined additional comment.