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Faizel Patel – 26/07/2021

Ben & Jerry’s decision to stop selling ice cream in Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories may prove a pivotal moment in the campaign against Israel’s apartheid system

Al Jazeera reports the United States-based ice cream maker, known for its creative, chunky flavours and progressive social stances, is already facing a punishing blowback by the Israeli government and rabbinical organisations worldwide.

Hafez Ebrahim Moosa speaking to Radio Islam during the Palestine Report on Monday says the decision by Ben & Jerry’s has created a lot of reaction.

“More than fifteen years in the making, BDS activists in the United State of America have bene urging Ben & Jerry’s to divest from Israel especially because this is a company that prides itself on social justice values.”

Hafez Moosa says while Ben & Jerry’s decision has been met with a lot of excitement by Palestinian activists, the company has also indicated that it intends to remain in Israel under a different agreement.

He says Israeli politicians including the Prime Minister Neftali Bennet attacked the ice -cream company.

“Israeli politicians dedicated much of the last week just to attack this ice-cream brand. So the foreign minister denounced it as a capitulation to anti-semitism to BDS and all that is evil. You had the Israeli prime minister coming in, he spoke to the CEO of Unilever which is the multinational that owns Ben & Jerry’s now warning him of severe consequences. He said that Ben & Jerry’s has decided to brand itself as anti-Israel ice-cream.”

Hafez Moosa also touched on news about Israeli spyware sparks International outcry and Israel becoming an International observer at the African Union (AU).

Listen to the Palestine Report with Hafez Ebrahim Moosa