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One of the original creators of the well-known frozen dessert company Ben and Jerry's has announced that parent company Unilever stopped the launch of a new Palestine-themed ice cream flavor.

Ben Cohen, who established the business alongside Jerry Greenfield, disclosed how he will independently develop the controversial product within an individual series highlighting causes the company has been prevented from speaking out about.

Ongoing Conflict Between Creators and Parent Company

The recent announcement deepens the ongoing conflict among the world-famous ice cream maker and its corporate parent, the British packaged goods corporation that acquired the ice cream brand for over two decades.

Both founders have claimed that the parent company along with its ice cream arm Magnum improperly prevented Ben & Jerry's from "maintaining its activist principles".

Watermelon Sorbet becoming an Emblem of Solidarity

The entrepreneur stated through an Instagram video that he's developing an innovative watermelon-flavored frozen dessert, requesting consumer ideas for the product's name plus additional components.

“I'm doing what they couldn't,” Mr. Cohen declared from his kitchen. “I'm creating a watermelon-based ice cream that calls for permanent peace for Palestinians and calls for repairing the damage that was done there.”

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

Previous Social Engagement and Recent Developments

In 2021, Ben & Jerry's ceased sales of their merchandise in territories occupied by Israel, resulting in Unilever selling their Israel business over to an Israeli distributor, thereby permitting continued sales in disputed territories.

The new product line will be developed under Ben's Best, the socially conscious dessert company which originally created in 2016 to support former political contender Senator Sanders with the flavor "Bernie's Back".

Management Changes plus Upcoming Intentions

The founder stated how he plans to develop additional ice cream flavors focusing on concerns which Ben & Jerry's was prevented from speaking about openly due to corporate restrictions.

The announcement comes after partner Mr. Greenfield stepped down his position at the company recently, after many years with the organization, citing worries that its independence was undermined following Unilever's decision to restrict their advocacy work.

At that time, Mr. Cohen remarked how “My partner has a really big heart and the ongoing dispute with Unilever was deeply distressing him."

"My heart leads me to keep working inside the company to advocate for its independence so that it can actualise the social mission, the principles which it was founded on and has maintained for decades," he explained to journalists.

• Corporate owner restrictions on political advocacy
• Personal product development by company founders
• The fruit-based product as social statement
• Ongoing tensions between corporate ownership versus social mission