Unilever Blocks 'Palestine' Ice Cream, Because Some Flavors Are Too Spicy
This comes after Ben & Jerry's faced immense pressure, including divestment threats, for its 2021 decision to cease sales in illegal Israeli settlements, a move that prompted Unilever to sue its own subsidiary. Unilever, a behemoth with products in 190 countries, conveniently overlooks the occupation when it means missing a market (or facing political backlash from powerful lobbying groups like
AIPAC, which spent $3.5 million lobbying in 2023 alone, according to OpenSecrets.org). Corporate 'social responsibility' evidently has its limits when profits or geopolitical allegiances are concerned. One might wonder if any of Unilever's other 400 brands have similar trouble with flavors supporting 'permanent peace' elsewhere, or if this particular region just makes certain boardrooms a little
too uncomfortable. It seems advocating for basic Palestinian rights is a riskier business than, say, marketing deodorant.