Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen has urged Bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor to sever ties with Unilever and its ice cream brand Magnum over the company’s position on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Cohen said on social media that Kapoor had represented Unilever and Magnum in India for more than a decade while also using her public platform to speak against violence against Palestinian children.
He accused Unilever and Magnum of suppressing criticism of Israel, including views expressed by Ben & Jerry’s. Cohen also referred to alleged efforts by Magnum to remove members of Ben & Jerry’s independent board overseeing the brand’s social mission.
“If this is brought to Kareena’s attention, she will stand up for what’s right and encourage Unilever/Magnum to free Ben & Jerry’s,” Cohen said.
He also urged his followers to ask Kapoor to support the campaign by using the hashtags #BoycottMagnum and #FreeBenandJerrys.
Kapoor’s public statements on Palestine have included resharing the viral “All Eyes on Rafah” campaign and a UNICEF statement condemning the killing of children in Gaza.
Cohen, meanwhile, has been a vocal critic of US policy towards Israel. He was arrested during a protest at a US Senate hearing over Washington’s support for Israel’s actions in Gaza.
He has also publicly clashed with Ben & Jerry’s parent company, including by creating a watermelon sorbet inspired by Palestine after the company declined to produce one.
The dispute follows the departure of Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield in September 2025 over disagreements with Unilever regarding the brand’s social mission.
In Israel, Unilever previously sold its local Ben & Jerry’s operations after the ice cream brand refused to sell products in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli company later introduced an ice cream flavour for the local market, drawing criticism online.
