A New Jersey state treasury official said on Wednesday it is set to divest $182 million in Unilever Plc stock and bonds held by its pension funds over the restriction of sales by the consumer giant's Ben & Jerry's ice cream brand in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.
Unilever headquarters in Rotterdam, Netherlands August 21, 2018. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw
It is the latest action by a U.S. state challenging Unilever over Ben & Jerry's move in July to end a license for its ice cream to be sold in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Ben & Jerry's said selling its products there was "inconsistent with its values." Jope noted Ben & Jerry's has an independent board overseeing its social mission, and said Unilever does not support the "Boycott Divestment Sanctions" movement that seeks to isolate Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians.A Ben & Jerry's spokesman did not respond to messages.