Bill to Ban State Ownership of Ben & Jerry’s Parent Company Stock

(Des Moines, IA) A bill to prohibit the state-run pension fund from owning stock in the parent company of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream has cleared the Iowa House and is scheduled for debate in the Senate today (Monday). In July, the founders of Ben and Jerry’s announced their ice cream would no longer be sold in disputed territories in Israel. Representative Carter Nordman, a Republican from Adel, says the sole purpose of the ‘Boycott Israel’ movement is to “economically destroy and cripple the State of Israel.” The U-K company Unilever bought Ben and Jerry’s two decades ago but agreed to continue the ice company’s social missions. Representative Mary Wolfe, a Democrat from Clinton, accuses Republicans of “bullying Ben and Jerry’s founders” and says they have a right to “respectfully disagree” with Israeli policy.