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The attempt by ice-cream maker Ben & Jerry’s to stop sales of its products in Judea and Samaria was rejected Monday by a federal judge.
US District Court Judge Andrew Carter in Manhattan said that Ben & Jerry’s did not deserve an injunction to halt ice cream sales because it did not show that it would suffer irreparable harm, or that customers would be confused.
The judge noted that products sold in the West Bank would use Hebrew and Arabic trademarks, not English language trademarks.
Ben & Jerry’s brought the lawsuit on July 5 against its parent company Unilever after the latter had announced that it would sell the rights to produce its dessert products in Israel to American Quality Products Ltd. Owned by Israeli businessman Avi Zinger, American Quality Products has produced and delivered Ben & Jerry’s products in Israel for decades.
In the lawsuit, the Ben & Jerry’s board argued that the transfer breached a deal between them and Unilever because it circumvented the ice cream company’s decision to end sales in what it considers “occupied Palestinian territory.”
Ben & Jerry’s claimed that to sell its products in Judea and Samaria is inconsistent with its values.
Unilever countered that Ben & Jerry’s had no power to stop the sale of the Israeli business, and the sale could not be undone because it had closed in late June.
It ain't over until it's over.@benandjerrys lost their preliminary injunction motion to stop the sale to Zinger. The order looks pretty damning to me, but the case is still open.
It'll be over if the judge grants a Unilever motion to dismiss.
Here are the 2 pertinent pages: https://t.co/aQDlhJ81I1 pic.twitter.com/utj4Xq1jwF
— Joel Taubman #JusticeforMalkiRoth (@JoelTaubman) August 22, 2022
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The Guardian Australia and the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) wll no longer be working with a freelance journalist after some of his horrific social media posts came to light. Following HonestReporting’s uncovering of numerous violent and antisemitic Facebook posts by Fady Hanona, The New York Times on August 12 became the first news organization to officially cut ties with the Gaza Strip-based ‘stringer.’
In one of the posts, Hanona expressed his support for killing Jews and said: “The Jews are sons of the dogs … I am in favor of killing them and burning them like Hitler did. I will be so happy.”
Other antisemitic rants by Hanona included posts in support of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas where he urged that “the resistance” continue its missile attacks on Israel during the 2014 Gaza War.
He even invoked Adolf Hitler in a post days later, where he said: “As Hitler said, give me a Palestinian soldier and a German weapon and I will make Europe crawl on its knees”.
Media organizations from across the globe have followed The New York Times and cut ties with the Gaza-based journalist.
On top of The Guardian Australia, the ABC and SBS (Special Broadcasting Service), Hanona was also employed or affiliated with the BBC, Vice News, Ireland’s national broadcaster RTE and Germany’s Die Welt.
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Prime Minister Yair Lapid told French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday that Israel opposes a return to the Iran nuclear agreement, warning that the latest EU proposal goes beyond the original 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“Israel will continue to do everything to prevent Iran from attaining a nuclear capability,” Lapid said.
Israel’s premier Lapid cautioned that the country will not be “obligated” by such an agreement should it be signed. He also warned that in the latest offer, “there are new elements that go beyond the limits of the original JCPOA, and that it will pave the way for significant investment to flow into Iran’s terrorist network and to strengthening the Iranian military.”
Lapid’s conversation with Macron came one day after European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who coordinates the indirect US-Iranian talks to try and restore the nuclear deal, said that Tehran has provided a “reasonable” response to the latest EU offer.
National security adviser Eyal Hulata is expected to arrive to Washington this week to meet with US officials to discuss Israel’s concerns regarding a new Iran Deal directly with the White House.
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Israeli soldiers, along with the country’s internal security service and Border Police, arrested eight wanted persons with reported ties to terrorism throughout the West Bank Sunday night. This development comes amid the ongoing Operation Break the Wave, aimed at preventing terrorist attacks against Israelis.
The raid occurred in the West Bank villages of Al-Khader, Asakra, al-Azariya, Shuqba and Burqa, among others. While in the city of Nablus and surrounding towns, the IDF arrested four wanted people suspected of involvement in terrorist activities.
The Israel Defense Forces also operated in the Tulkarm refugee camp and arrested a wanted person. During the raid in Tulkarm, stones and Molotov cocktails were thrown at the Israeli soldiers, who responded with gunfire.
Moreover, soldiers operated in the towns of Azzun and Jaba and apprehended three additional suspects.
Israel initiated Operation Break the Wave following a series of deadly attacks earlier this year that claimed the lives of 19 people.
Recommended Reading
- Combating Antisemitism, Delegitimization on Social Media – Do We Stand a Chance? (Noam Koren, Jerusalem Post)
- Israel Needs to Focus on Freedom to Operate Against Iran (Oded Granot, Israel Hayom)
- Noor Dahri: Pakistani-Born Muslim, Counter-Terrorism Expert … and Zionist (Alex Traiman, Jewish News Syndicate)
- CNN’s Dana Bash: We Must Be ‘Aggressive, Zealous’ in Educating Against Antisemitism (Andrew Lapin, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
- Israeli Technology to Be Used in NASA Artemis Mission (i24News)
Featured Image: Ben&Jerry via Open Food Facts; Judea & Samaria – Israel Defense Forces via Flickr
