Past letters to the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) show that Unilever, the parent company of Ben & Jerry鈥檚, defended its decision to do business in countries like Cuba, Iran and Syria.
The Daily Caller that in a 2020 letter to the SEC, Unilever acknowledged conducting business with a hotel affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which the Trump administration designated as a terror group in 2019; the administration argued at the time 鈥渢hat the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft.聽The IRGC is the Iranian government鈥檚 primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign.鈥� Unilever also acknowledge paying taxes and fees to the Iranian government in the letter.
Additionally, in separate letters to the SEC in 2006 and 2010, Unilever stated that the business it was conducting in Iran, Syria and Sudan was not with any state-run companies; in Cuba, they conducted business with a government-run manufacturing company. Unilever argued that their business in these countries was beneficial to poorer residents.
Marc Greendorfer, founder of the Zachor Legal Institute, told The Daily Caller that it was hypocritical for Unilever to allow Ben & Jerry鈥檚 to cease operating in the 鈥淥ccupied Palestinian Territory鈥� while continuing to do business in 鈥渃ountries with the worst human rights abuses,鈥� after having 鈥渄efended doing so to United States regulators on the basis that the operations are not material to their operations.鈥� 鈥淪urely, the revenues from selling ice cream to Jews in their historic homeland are even less material to Unilever鈥檚 operations than, say, the revenues from doing business in Syria, Iran or Cuba, yet it looks like Unilever continues to do business in those countries as they boycott Jews.鈥� He added that the SEC should mandate Unilever 鈥渢o provide investors with full disclosure on the financial impact of engaging in boycotts so investors can make a reasoned decision as to whether the actions are material to their decision whether to buy, hold or sell their Unilever shares.鈥�
Unilever did not respond to the Journal鈥檚 request for comment.
Arizona, New York, New Jersey and are among the states that have announced that they will be divesting from Unilever after concluding that Ben & Jerry鈥檚 Israel move violates their anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) laws. StandWithUs Co-Founder and CEO Roz Rothstein argued in a letter on behalf of StandWithUs and the Israeli American Coalition (IAC) for Action that Unilever does have the power to overrule Ben & Jerry鈥檚 and should do so.
鈥淏en and Jerry鈥檚 must explain鈥攖o you and to the investing public鈥攈ow its social mission requires such a boycott when it signed a contract showing that doing business in Israel was consistent with its social mission,鈥� Rothstein wrote. 鈥淐learly, it is Ben and Jerry鈥檚 that is in breach, and it is within Unilever鈥檚 rights to reverse the Board.鈥�
