Florida and Texas Threaten Sanctions Against Ben & Jerry's Over Israel Boycott (Picture)

 

"It has come to my attention that Ben and Jerry's has announced plans to remove its products and prohibit the sale of its ice cream in Judea and Samaria," Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wrote in a letter to the executive director of the state's administrative board on Thursday. DeSantis' letter noted that Ben and Jerry's is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Unilever, a publicly traded company that holds multiple Florida investments. If Ben & Jerry's continues with its planned boycott, DeSantis wrote, the executive board will have to stop acquiring "any and all Unilever assets" in order to comply with the state's anti-BDS laws. Not getting into whether the Ben & Jerry withdrawal from West Bank Market or the BDS legislation is appropriate . The issue is whether Florida and Texas is focusing and prioritising the fixing of issues in their respective States... as opposed to playing to the base by sabre rattling at Unilever. At end of day Unilever might just decide that not only should they withdraw from contentious overseas markets but given the hostile political environment maybe they should relocate facilities in Texas and Florida to somewhere more congenial ....Desantis and Abbott can then explain to their voters about how the lost their states jobs... FYI Republican Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar has said "It is worth noting that thankfully Texans have much better options for a sweet treat this summer," he added. "Blue Bell was founded in Brenham, Texas and tastes much better than the overpriced, stuck-up stuff made by a foreign-owned company started in Vermont."