Israel Defense Forces soldier sues Ben & Jerry's for not selling his favourite ice-cream

On Monday, an Israel Defense Forces soldier sued the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for halting sales in the Israel-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Calling the restriction a ‘new form of terrorism’ the IDF soldier registered his ice cream woes in an official complaint that accused the company Ben & Jerry’s ice cream of having a biased stance as it stopped what he described as “his favourite ice cream.” The complaint further stated that the “Israeli military forces sent him to make long and frequent trips by car in those territories, and often he buys ice cream in different companies”.

The 20-year-old soldier’s mother, Adv. Orly Ben Ami, filed the now-viral complaint on his behalf, as she argued that her son has been deprived of his “preferred” dessert. “The Ben & Jerry’s brand ice cream is his preferred one,” read the complaint shared on Twitter. 

A report first carried by the US broadcaster Philadelphia Inquirer published by Abraham Gutman joked that the “Privileged” soldiers’ “Right to Eat Chunky Monkey While Occupying” has been “Violated”. Many condemned the “judgment position” the ice cream brand took about the Gaza conflict, yet several others joked about the complaint by the IDF soldier. The internet was seemingly divided.

“So, the IDF soldier suing Ben & Jerry's for being ‘judgmental’ and making him ‘unable to enjoy [his favorite ice cream] like everyone," wrote a commenter adding a crying emoji. “His case was filed by his mom,” she added.  “What a tough guy. Deprived of his favourite ice cream while enforcing 54 years of military occupation on Palestinians,” meanwhile one other stated. 

Israeli PM called the move 'morally wrong'

After Ben & Jerry’s announced that it was going to stop selling its ice cream in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the move "morally wrong”. In a press note, the company said that it was “inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry's ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)”.

The announcement was one of the strongest and highest-profile rebukes by a well-known company of Israel’s settlements in the region, which is widely seen by the international community as illegal and an obstacle to peace. Israeli Prime Minister Neftali Bennett warned Unilever Plc Chief Executive Officer Alan Jope that Ben & Jerry's decision will have "serious repercussions, legal and otherwise."