Ben and Jerry's co-founder to launch pro-Palestine ice cream – everything we know

Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen is set to launch a pro-Palestine watermelon ice cream after claiming his idea was blocked by Unilever/Magnum. Instead, he’s going solo and inviting the public to help name the flavour, suggest ingredients, and design the packaging.

In an Instagram video shared to his page, Ben shared how he was creating a product that's "actually pretty important" while mashing up watermelon.

“A while back, Ben & Jerry’s tried to make a flavour to call for peace in Palestine, to stand for justice and dignity for everyone,” he shared from his kitchen.

“But they weren’t allowed to, they were stopped by Unilever Magnum, the company that owns Ben & Jerry’s.

"So I’m doing what they couldn’t, I’m making a watermelon flavoured ice cream that calls for permanent peace in Palestine and calls for repairing all the damage that was done there."

To many, the watermelon is a simple fruit, but for Palestinians and those showing solidarity, it has become a powerful symbol of national identity.

Its significance grew after the Six-Day War in 1967, when Israel took control of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. Under military orders in the occupied territories, public displays of the Palestinian flag were prohibited without a permit, prompting Palestinians to use the watermelon instead, whose red, green, black and white colours mirror those of the flag.

The fruit is also grown across the territories, from the West Bank to Gaza, and appears in several traditional Palestinian dishes.

In recent years, the watermelon emoji has become a subtle way for people online to show support for Palestine, especially amid claims of social-media censorship.

Now, with Ben's Challenge, the co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s is opening up the project to the public.

Unilever said in a statement that independent members of Ben & Jerry’s board had made a proposal, but it was rejected.

In the statement, Unilever said: "The independent members of Ben & Jerry’s board are not, and have never been, responsible for the Ben & Jerry’s commercial strategy and execution.

"Recommendations are considered by Ben & Jerry’s leadership, and Ben & Jerry’s management has determined it is not the right time to invest in developing this product."

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