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One of the original creators of the famous frozen dessert company Ben & Jerry's has announced that corporate owner the multinational conglomerate blocked the introduction of an innovative Palestine-themed ice cream flavor.

Ben Cohen, who established the company with his partner, revealed that he will personally create this new product as part of an individual series highlighting issues Ben & Jerry's was prevented from addressing publicly.

Ongoing Conflict Between Creators and Parent Company

The recent development intensifies the continuing disagreement between the world-famous dessert company and Unilever, the British packaged goods corporation which has owned the ice cream brand since 2000.

The co-founders have claimed that the parent company along with its ice cream arm the Magnum brand improperly prevented their company from "fulfilling its ethical commitments".

The Fruit Sorbet as a Symbol of Support

The entrepreneur announced through social media how he is creating a new watermelon-based frozen dessert, requesting public suggestions regarding naming options and potential ingredients.

“I'm doing what they couldn't,” Mr. Cohen commented in his kitchen. “I'm making a watermelon-flavored ice cream that advocates for lasting ceasefire in Palestine and calls for addressing the harm that occurred in the region.”

The watermelon has become a symbol for support for Palestinians because of its colors, which mirror those of the Palestinian flag – the distinctive four-color pattern.

Historical Social Engagement and Recent Developments

In 2021, the ice cream company ceased sales of its products in territories under Israeli control, leading to Unilever selling their Israel business over to an Israeli distributor, thus allowing continued sales within disputed territories.

The new product line will be developed under Ben's Best, the socially conscious ice cream brand that originally established several years back to support former US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders with the flavor "Bernie's Return".

Management Shifts plus Future Plans

Mr. Cohen revealed that he plans to develop additional frozen dessert varieties that address issues that the company was silenced from addressing publicly by corporate restrictions.

This development follows partner Jerry Greenfield stepped down his position at Ben & Jerry's recently, after many years of involvement, mentioning concerns regarding how the company's autonomy had been compromised following corporate moves to restrict their advocacy work.

At that time, Mr. Cohen remarked how "Jerry has strong compassion and this conflict with Unilever was breaking it."

“My conscience leads me to continue to work within the organization to advocate for corporate autonomy so that it can achieve its ethical purpose, the principles that established its foundation and has maintained for over 40 years," he explained to journalists.

• Corporate owner limitations regarding political advocacy
• Independent product development by original creators
• The fruit-based product serving as political symbol
• Ongoing disagreements among corporate ownership and social mission