Ben & Jerry’s Israel has announced a new Israel-exclusive ice cream flavour, marking the latest chapter in a series 0f disputes between the Vermont-based ice cream maker, its co-founders and the company’s parent group Unilever over its refusal to grant them independent control over the company's stance on Palestinian rights.
Social media users have reacted strongly to a post shared by Israel’s official X account on Tuesday announcing the release of Milk and Honey, which it declared the “official ice cream flavour” of the country.
The product states that it “was created to support communities in southern Israel”.
Ben & Jerry’s Israel - which has been operating independently from the global Ben & Jerry's since 2022 - said in its promotional materials that it sourced the milk and cream from dairy farms in Kibbutz Alumim, one of the towns near the separation fence with Gaza that was attacked on 7 October 2023. It added that the chocolate Stars of David came from a factory in Beersheba in the Negev desert, known in Arabic as the Naqab, and the honey from the beehives of Kibbutz Yad Mordechai.
Criticising the branding against the backdrop of Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, several users shared photos and names of alternative ideas for the flavour.
