Ben & Jerry�s co-founder Ben Cohen is once again stirring controversy � this time by personally launching a �Palestine-themed� sorbet after parent company Unilever reportedly blocked the Vermont-based ice cream maker from releasing it under its brand.

In a video posted on X, Cohen � wearing an apron and surrounded by smashed watermelons � announced he was making a �watermelon-flavored ice cream that calls for permanent peace in Palestine,� accusing Unilever and its spinoff Magnum Ice Cream Company of �stopping Ben & Jerry�s from creating a flavor for Palestine.�

�So I�m doing what they couldn�t,� he said, mashing the fruit by hand.

Watermelons, long a symbol of anti-Israel protest, have become a rallying image among pro-Palestinian demonstrators because their red, green, black, and white colors match the Palestinian flag. Cohen�s decision to feature the fruit as his �protest flavor� drew immediate backlash online, with many accusing the left-wing mogul of turning a divisive geopolitical issue into a marketing gimmick.

The stunt marks the latest escalation in the long-running feud between Ben & Jerry�s ultra-progressive founders and their corporate parent. Tensions date back to 2021, when the company announced it would halt sales in what it called �Israeli-occupied territories,� a move widely condemned as discriminatory. Unilever responded by selling Ben & Jerry�s license in Israel to a local distributor � an attempt to sidestep the founders� political activism.

Since then, Cohen and co-founder Jerry Greenfield have accused Unilever of �gagging� the brand�s ability to take left-wing positions. In 2024, the independent board of Ben & Jerry�s even sued Unilever, alleging it had silenced the company�s advocacy for �Palestinian refugees.� The board also claimed Unilever ousted longtime CEO David Stever and replaced him with Dutch executive Jochanan Senf without board input, a move they framed as corporate retaliation.

Unilever has maintained that Ben & Jerry�s remains free to advocate for social causes, but that explicitly partisan or inflammatory political statements violate its global conduct policies.

For years, Ben & Jerry�s has blurred the line between ice cream and activism, championing left-wing causes from climate policy to police reform. But its increasingly militant tone on Israel � including Cohen�s latest foray into �protest sorbet� � has alienated swaths of consumers and drawn bipartisan criticism.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)