Ben & Jerry’s ice cream board calls for Gaza ceasefire

Ben & Jerry’s, an ice cream brand that has previously drawn controversy for its anti-Israel actions, has issued a statement asserting the company’s support of a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, according to multiple media reports from Tuesday. 

“Peace is a core value of Ben & Jerry’s,” Anuradha Mittal, the head of the board, who also runs the left-leaning think tank the Oakland Institute told the Financial Times. “From Iraq to Ukraine [the company] has consistently stood up for these principles. Today is no different as we call for peace and a permanent and immediate ceasefire.”

"Promoting peace has been an integral part of Ben & Jerry's DNA for four decades,", Mittal repeated in a later comment, according to the BBC. "Today, Ben & Jerry's Board stands steadfast with that principle by calling for peace and a permanent and immediate ceasefire."

“It is stunning that millions are marching around the world but the corporate world has been silent,” Mittal said, in a comment on the ongoing actions taken by pro-Palestinian groups.

The statement did not mention the release of hostages, who were kidnapped on October 7 when Hamas launched a massive terror attack against Israel which took the lives of over 1200 people, or reference Hamas.

A history of anti-Israel actions

Mittal had previously made headlines and has been crowned ‘Antisemite of the Year’ in 2021 by the watchdog group Stop Antisemitism. Mittal had headed the efforts to stop ice cream sales to Israel. 

The Oakland Institute has accused Israel of apartheid, and colonialism and funded Badil, a Palestinian group with ties to terror organizations and a history of antisemitism that includes publishing Nazi-era cartoons, as reported by the Jerusalem Post in 2021. 

Unilever, the parent company of Ben and Jerry’s, declined to comment on Tuesday, the BBC reported.