‘I won’t be eating anymore Cherry Garcia for awhile’: De Blasio calls Ben & Jerry’s Israel boycott a ‘mistake’

By Jennie Taer

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio criticized Ben & Jerry’s latest decision to stop selling their products in parts of Israel, during a news conference Tuesday.

“I can say that I won’t be eating anymore Cherry Garcia for awhile,” de Blasio said, referring to the brand’s popular flavor.

He added, “That’s sad to me. I don’t know them well, but I’ve met them over the years and I think they’re good people, literally Ben and Jerry. I think they’re good people with good values, but this is a mistake. They shouldn’t do this.”

The progressive ice cream company announced Monday its decision to cease sales in “Occupied Palestinian Territory,” meaning the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Israel gained control of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War, but the areas are considered “occupied” by some in the international community.

https://twitter.com/ykahan/status/1417540396524183555?

De Blasio has long opposed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) targeting Israel and reiterated his commitment to fighting the effort.

“BDS is a movement that will undermine peace in the Middle East,” he said. “It’s as simple as that. You cannot have peace if you undermine the economic reality and create division. I just believe that’s absolutely the wrong approach and I don’t think Ben & Jerry’s should be doing that.”

De Blasio went on to acknowledge that the ice cream company had “done a lot of good in the world,” but that its latest move takes opportunities away from both Israelis and Palestinians.

“As interesting as the Israeli government is, it at least is a different government and the potential for a different path forward exists now, but not if the economy doesn’t work because the path to peace is going to have to involve economic justice for Israelis and Palestinians alike and that won’t work if the economy doesn’t function,” de Blasio explained.

“So, I think BDS is just absolutely mistaken and I’m sorry to hear that news,” he concluded.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called Ben & Jerry’s decision “ethically bereft” and said “the boycott will not work.” Bennett later spoke with the CEO of Unilever, the company that owns Ben & Jerry’s, and threatened “severe consequences.”

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Gilad Erdan and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid sent a letter Monday to governors from 35 U.S. states that have anti-BDS legislation urging them to speak out against Ben & Jerry’s decision and to take appropriate action against the company.

A number of grocery stores in the U.S. responded to Ben & Jerry’s announcement by pulling its products off their shelves.

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Image courtesy of Michael Bielawski/TNR

12 thoughts on “‘I won’t be eating anymore Cherry Garcia for awhile’: De Blasio calls Ben & Jerry’s Israel boycott a ‘mistake’

  1. It’s very troubling to read some of the ‘less than intelligent’ statements posted on this site. You folks leave no other option than for people to turn to liberal Democratic politics. Blame yourselves that the Republican party has no foothold in Vermont.

    And with the median age in Burlington at 26, it isn’t going to get any better.

    I was in Palestine for close to a month. The de-humanization of the Palestinians is out of this world cruel. Ben & Jerry’s crime is not to have acted sooner and their shame is not really acting until 2023.

    I don’t eat B&J’s either. The price is too greedy and the fat and sugar content too physically damaging.

  2. More divide and conquer agendas using political psy-ops to politicize food.
    Global foot shortages already happening due to shipping breakdowns, and food literally being held hostage from the populace.
    Lab rats – what will we do now?

    Cui bono?

  3. Between Black Rifle Coffee and Ben and Jerry’s – it’s a wonder businesses can operate these days without taking a knee, bending backward for a few, donating Grift money, hanging a flag in the window, posting a sign on the lawn, etc. Whatever happened to offering a service or a product that someone would like to buy for it’s usefulness, attractiveness, value, etc. I don’t look for products or services based on opinions or political affiliation. Yet, the more these business go all in on this nonsense, I won’t support them at all. Alienating customers is not a good business model in the long term. Now I see Pride flags all over merchants windows in Barre. Seriously? Condescending and ridiculous gestures – special treatment, segregating, demoralizing, and nonsensical – ride the fad and go out of business when the economic bubble blows up….no flag or sign will save a small business from that fact.

    • Not a fad. The median age in Vermont is 26. Businesses, like politicians care more about the potentials than the presents.

      • @ Marianne

        Actually, the median age in VT is 42.9. Not sure what this has to do with ice cream though but I guess it makes sense to you.

  4. I stopped eating B & J ice cream decades ago. What could be more innocent or enjoyable than ice cream, yet Leftists manage even to politicize it.

    • Hear, hear! I stopped back when Ben Cohen came on TV and vehemently used 4-letter words to describe conservatives.

  5. Does anyone really care about Ben Cohen or Jerry Greenfield ” No ” they made their money,
    it’s all just a name ” Ben & Jerry’s ” it belongs to the conglomerate “Unilever” and as you can
    see the company is global, so they are ” Woke ” if you’re eating that trash, it’s your business
    but you’re padding Unilever’s pockets………….

  6. Boycott Ben & Jerry’s AND Unilever products; plenty of other good choices that aren’t tainted by their brand of virtue signaling.

    And by the way, nobody seems to pay any attention to the fact that the “territories” were part of the original land area given to create the state of Israel plus a good deal of what is now Jordan etc. The Arab countries attacked the newborn nation of Israel in 1948 and stole all of those areas. After attacking Israel yet again in 1967, this time Israel was strong enough to actually win back some of the land taken from them by Jordan and others. Why on earth are they supposed to hand back what was originally theirs? These people ought to study some history instead of just reading the antisemitic NYT.

  7. Mr. Ben and Jerry are Communist,Meep,Next,I don’t knowing purchase anything produced by them including Chinese products as much as possible.

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