War on Gaza: Ben & Jerry's joins calls for 'permanent and immediate' ceasefire
Ice cream manufacturer Ben & Jerry's has joined the calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The American ice cream maker has faced criticism from Israel and pro-Israel groups after it decided to stop selling its products in illegal Israeli settlements in 2021.
Ben & Jerry's has now become one of the first multinational companies to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza since the war began.
"Promoting peace has been an integral part of Ben & Jerry's DNA for four decades," said Anuradha Mittal, the head of its board, in a statement.
"Today, Ben & Jerry's board stands steadfast with that principle by calling for peace and a permanent and immediate ceasefire."
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Gaza’s health ministry said on Tuesday that the number of Palestinians killed by Israel had risen to 24,285, with at least 61,154 others wounded since the start of Israel’s offensive on 7 October.
According to the ministry, Israeli forces have committed “15 massacres against families” in the Gaza Strip, killing 158 people and injuring 320 others, during the past 24 hours.
In July 2021, Ben & Jerry's said it would stop its commercial operations in the occupied West Bank because they were "inconsistent" with its values.
The move met with fierce opposition from Israeli lawmakers, as well as US lawmakers and state governments who threatened to pull their investments in the company's owner, Unilever.
Following the backlash, Unilever announced it would sell Ben & Jerry's business interests in Israel to businessman Avi Zinger, the current Israeli licensee of the ice cream brand. The sale would effectively reverse a decision made by the company to stop operating in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
To stop this from happening, Ben & Jerry's filed a lawsuit against Unilever to block the sale of its business interests in Israel. At the time, Israeli President Isaac Herzog accused the company of "economic terrorism".
"[This is] terrorism that seeks to harm Israeli citizens and the Israeli economy. We must oppose this boycott and terrorism of any kind," he said.
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