Pedestrians walk on Church St., past the Ben & Jerry's shop, in Burlington, Vermont, March 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Five US states have begun examining whether Ben & Jerry’s decision to stop selling its ice cream in Israeli settlements triggered laws passed in recent years to combat the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel.
Officials in Florida, Texas, New York, New Jersey and Illinois are reviewing whether the move will require divestment from Ben & Jerry’s parent company Unilever under their various state laws.
There are 34 states in total that require their governments to stop doing business with companies that boycott Israel — and 21 of those explicitly include West Bank settlement boycotts in their definitions.