Ben & Jerry’s is suing its owner Unilever over claims it was silenced from speaking out about Palestinian refugees amid the Israel-Gaza conflict.

The ice cream brand has claimed that Unilever attempted to block it from making public statements about the cause, according to the Telegraph.

The move infringes the terms of a confidential settlement made between the pair in 2022 where Unilever agreed to “respect and acknowledge the Ben & Jerry’s independent board’s primary responsibility over Ben & Jerry’s social mission”.

Filed in New York today (14 November), the lawsuit claimed: “Ben & Jerry’s has on four occasions attempted to publicly speak out in support of peace and human rights. Unilever has silenced each of these efforts.”

The ice cream brand attempted to show its public support for a ceasefire, to urge UK leaders to facilitate a safe passage of Palestinian refugees to Britain, to back students protesting against civilian deaths in Gaza, and to call for an end to US military aid to Israel.

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The newly-filed lawsuit is not the first time Ben & Jerry’s has clashed with its parent company over its stance on social, climate, and human rights issues.

In 2021, the brand said it no longer wanted its ice cream to be sold in the parts of Palestine occupied by Israelis including the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Unilever eventually sold the Israeli arm of Ben & Jerry’s to a local operator that allowed sales to continue under different branding.

However, the US ice cream brand subsequently took legal action against Unilever, although the lawsuit was later resolved.

Political activism is a core part of the Ben & Jerry’s brand. Last, year, co-founder Ben Cohen was arrested in Washington over protesting following the prosecution of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s have been contacted for comment.