Notes

(Shurt hadin) Israeli NGO snatch Ben and Jerry's West Bank trademark to protest the boycott

Shurat Hadin has taken over the Ben & Jerry trademark in West Bank settlements and Jewish areas of east Jerusalem so that it can manufacture and sell icecream there.

nitsana darshan leitner stated that this was possible because the global Ben & Jerry's as well as its parent company Unilever have made plans to boycott of Israeli policies.

Shurat HaDin's president Nitsana Darash-Leitner sent a letter to Unilever (a British company that is the owner of Ben & Jerry's in Vermont since 2000) saying, "The Shurat HaDin Law Center has now registered an organization as a business on the Israeli corporation register, which is known as Judea and Samaria's Ben & Jerry's."

Darshan Leitner said that "we are planning to utilize Ben & Jerry’s name and match Vermont company's current ice cream line and also adding new flavors and items."

Unilever was informed by the company that the Ben & Jerry's brand was no longer permitted to be used within the territory. The boycott won't commence until 2023, when the agreement with the local ice cream manufacturer expires.

Avi Zinger, who is the owner of the Israel franchise has stated that he will not abandon the Green Line when selling icecream.

Yet, Shurat HaDin wrote to Unilever, "we will actively and vigorously defend Ben & Jerry's name rights, trademarks and rights throughout the region using all legal avenues."


Israel Law Center told The Jerusalem Post that sales will be restricted to those areas which Ben & Jerry's has withdrawn from. The company's commitment to sell to areas of Israel which aren't included in the "Occupied Palestinian Territory" means that the new Ben & Jerry's can not be sold in those areas.

Darshan-Leitner said that the bureaucratic and technical issues meant that in actuality, the ice cream sales will only start after the contract with the current Israeli franchise expires.



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