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Ben Cohen, the co-founder of ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s, has claimed that its parent company, Unilever, blocked it from creating a “flavour for Palestine”. The novelty ice cream would have been based on a watermelon flavour as the fruit has become a symbol of the pro-Palestine movement, but was allegedly scrapped. Making the claim on Instagram, Cohen posted: “Unilever / Magnum stopped Ben & Jerry’s from creating a flavor for Palestine – so I’m doing it myself, and opening a challenge to the public. "I’ve got a watermelon and an empty pint of ice cream – and I need your help. "We must keep using our voice when Ben & Jerry’s can’t – to secure peace, justice, and dignity in Palestine.” The caption was posted alongside a video of Cohen mashing a watermelon, during which he explained what he hoped to achieve. "Here I am making something that’s actually pretty important,” he said. "The scale of the suffering of the Palestinian people over the last two years has been unimaginable, so the ceasefire is a welcome relief, but there’s much more work to do to rebuild. "Palestinians are still living under occupation, still recovering from years of suffering, especially Palestinian children. "They deserve dignity, safety and the same rights that every human being should have.” He claimed that the point of the planned flavour was to “call for peace” and advocate for “justice and dignity for everyone". And he announced that he would try to create it independently to “shine a light” on the need for peace. Cohen, who is Jewish, is still involved in the company, while his co-founder, Jerry Greenfield, resigned in September, reportedly in part due to differences with Unilever over its social activism. Ben & Jerry’s has advocated for a number of progressive causes over the years and has been open about incorporating this into its business strategy. However, since it was sold to Unilever in 2000, there have been reports that executives have been pressuring the brand to reduce its outspoken campaigning. Indeed, Ben & Jerry’s even attempted to stop selling ice cream in the West Bank, though Cohen claimed this was also “blocked” by the parent company. Cohen himself has been a vocal pro-Palestine advocate and was arrested in May after disrupting a congressional hearing featuring Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr by shouting slogans about the Gaza War.
