Arizona has announced that it will cease all public investment in Ben and Jerry’s because the ice cream giant’s recently announced boycott of Israeli settlements violates state laws. It is the first US state to take such steps, but seven other states have launched review procedures that could lead to similar results.
The measure will also apply to parent company Unilever, state treasurer Kimberly Yee said on Tuesday, which represents the withdrawal of $ 143 million in investment from the multinational consumer goods company.
“As Arizona treasurer, I withdrew all public funds from Ben & Jerry’s because of his boycott of Israel,” Yee tweeted. “Israel is and will continue to be Arizona’s major trading partner. “
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“I stand in solidarity with Israel and I will not allow taxpayers’ money to be used in anti-Semitic and discriminatory efforts against Israel,” she wrote.
As Arizona Treasurer, I’ve divested all state funds from Ben & Jerry’s for boycotting Israel. Israel is and will continue to be a major trade partner of AZ. #IStandWithIsrael and I will not allow taxpayer dollars to go towards anti-Semitic, discriminatory efforts against Israel. https://t.co/F7mFhCq1Rt
— Kimberly Yee (@KimberlyYeeAZ) September 7, 2021
In a statement from his office, Yee explained that he “gave Unilever PLC, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s, an ultimatum: to cancel Ben & Jerry’s action or to divest Ben & Jerry’s to comply with the law of Arizona, or face the consequences. This is what they chose. “
Arizona’s investments in Unilever were therefore reduced from $ 143 million as of June 30 to just $ 50 million on Tuesday, and will be wiped out on September 21, the statement said.
“No matter how much Unilever PLC invests in Israel, with Ben & Jerry’s decision to no longer sell its products in the West Bank, companies are breaking the law in Arizona,” Yee added. “Arizona will not do business with companies that attempt to undermine Israel’s economy and openly disregard Arizona law. “
Kimberly Yee, then Republican Senator from Arizona, at Capitol Hill in Phoenix, May 6, 2016 (Bob Christie / AP)
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Last week, Yee sent a letter to Unilever warning it that in violation of Arizona law, it was participating in a boycott of Israel by allowing its subsidiary Ben and Jerry’s to impose an embargo on the Jewish state. .
Under Arizona law, the state cannot do business with any person or company that boycots Israel, which includes restricting business operations in Israel or in territory controlled by Israel, the letter said.
Unilever responded to the state of Arizona that Ben and Jerry’s decision did not represent membership in the pro-Palestinian boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel, AZ Central reported on Tuesday.
A total of 34 states are demanding that their governments stop doing business with companies that boycott Israel – and 21 of them, like Arizona, include the boycott of West Bank settlements in their definitions.
So far, eight states are known to have triggered similar review proceedings that could result in the divestiture of Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever. Besides Arizona, New York, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Illinois and Maryland have initiated formal proceedings.
The ice cream company’s decision, announced last July, to stop selling its products in what it called the “Occupied Palestinian Territory,” presumably the West Bank and East Jerusalem, sparked backlash. Ben & Jerry’s has said it will sever ties with its Israeli manufacturer and distributor and end sales beyond the Green Line from the end of 2022.
Unilever has said it hopes to continue doing business in Israel proper, and affirmed its opposition to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, and the founders of Ben & Jerry’s reiterated that they did not approve of BDS but were opposed to ” the illegal occupation ”of Israel. However, it is not known whether Ben & Jerry’s will continue to be available in Israel when the ban goes into effect at the end of next year, as Israeli law prohibits discrimination against Israeli citizens in the territories.
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