According to the blogger David Lange, the move was in response to the perceived antisemitic nature of the boycott, which was seen by activists as being aligned with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel.
The boycott appears to have been the initiative of the head of Ben & Jerry's Board of Directors, Anuradha Mittal, who is a vocal BDS supporter.
Subsequently, the hashtag #ShameOnMittal also started being used.
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement is divisive, and does nothing to support peace between Israelis and Palestinians.#ShameOnBenAndJerrys#ShameOnMittal@alanjope @ConnyBraams @Mittaloak @Unilever @BenAndJerrys pic.twitter.com/nce5qOZqWR
— Ireland Israel Alliance (@irlisrAlliance) July 29, 2021
Mittal has denied that her actions were antisemitic. In addition, writing in an op-ed in The New York Times, the ice cream giant's founders voiced their support for the move to boycott sales to the West Bank and east Jerusalem.Its parent company, Uniliver, however, has been less supportive, and clarified that the move was not associated with BDS. This comes as many US states mull divesting from Uniliver, due to the BDS movement being considered antisemitic.