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One of the original creators behind the well-known ice cream brand Ben and Jerry's has stated that corporate owner the multinational conglomerate blocked the introduction of a new pro-Palestinian frozen dessert product.

Ben Cohen, who established the business with Jerry Greenfield, revealed how he will independently develop this new product within a personal series highlighting causes Ben & Jerry's has been barred from speaking out about.

Ongoing Conflict Between Creators and Corporate Owner

This latest development deepens the continuing conflict among the world-famous dessert company and Unilever, the UK-based consumer goods giant which has owned the ice cream brand for over two decades.

Both founders have asserted how the parent company and its ice cream arm Magnum unlawfully blocked Ben & Jerry's from "maintaining its activist principles".

The Fruit Sorbet as a Symbol of Solidarity

The entrepreneur revealed through an Instagram video that he is creating a new watermelon-flavored frozen dessert, requesting public suggestions regarding the product's name plus additional components.

“I'm doing what they couldn't,” the founder stated in a cooking set. “I'm making a watermelon-based frozen dessert that advocates for lasting ceasefire for Palestinians and calls for addressing the harm that occurred in the region.”

The watermelon has become an emblem of support for the Palestinian people because of its coloration, that mirror the colors in Palestine's national banner – the distinctive four-color pattern.

Previous Activism and Recent Changes

In 2021, Ben & Jerry's refused to sell its products in territories under Israeli control, leading to the parent company selling the Israeli operation to an Israeli distributor, thereby permitting ongoing distribution in the occupied West Bank.

This upcoming product line will be developed under Ben's Best, the socially conscious dessert company which originally established several years back for endorsing former US presidential candidate Senator Sanders with the flavor "Bernie's Back".

Leadership Shifts plus Future Plans

The founder revealed how he will develop additional ice cream flavors that address concerns that Ben & Jerry's was silenced from speaking about openly due to corporate restrictions.

This development follows partner Jerry Greenfield resigned his position at Ben & Jerry's recently, following many years of involvement, citing worries that its independence had been undermined following Unilever's decision to curb their advocacy work.

Previously, Ben Cohen remarked how "Jerry has a really big heart and this conflict with our parent company was deeply distressing him."

“My conscience compels me to keep working within the organization to fight for its independence ensuring that it can fulfill the social mission, the principles which it was founded on while upholding for decades," he explained to journalists.

• Corporate owner limitations regarding political advocacy
• Personal product development from company founders
• Watermelon flavor serving as political symbol
• Continuing disagreements among corporate ownership and ethical values