Avi Kaner, owner of a supermarket chain in New York, decided to reduce the sale of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in his stories in response to the announcement by the global company that it would stop selling ice cream in Judea and Samaria. Kaner is a son of Israelis, speaks Hebrew himself and is one of the owners of the Morton Williams Supermarkets, which has 16 branches in New York City. The supermarkets he owns will reduce Ben & Jerry's sales by at least 70%, and will not replenish inventory at the same rate they are currently renewing. Morton Williams is already moving the ice cream to a lower place on the shelves. In a conversation with Channel 12 News , Kaner said he received thousands of positive responses to the move. He claimed that more companies will take this step, both to support Israel, but also to separate politics from what is happening in food stores and the business world. "We all, Jews and non-Jews, decided we could not continue like this. Hopefully they will change what they did, but if not - other companies will see it and not do the same," Kaner added. Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked visited the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory in central Israel Wednesday morning, in a public show of support for the Israeli franchisee of the popular ice cream brand. Noting the refusal of the holder of the Israeli franchise – Avi Zinger – to implement the boycott of Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria called for by the international Ben & Jerry’s company – owned by Unilever – Shaked called on fans of the frozen confection to continue to support Ben & Jerry’s Israel branch. “Don’t boycott the Israeli Ben & Jerry’s franchise,” Shaked said during the tour. “We need to buy Ben & Jerry’s in Israel. Avi Zinger, the CEO of Ben & Jerry’s Israel, has been fighting for years against BDS groups.” “He has refused to accept the terms set by Ben & Jerry’s International, to boycott parts of Israel, and we will do everything possible to get this decision overturned.” “We need to fight the American Ben & Jerry’s company,” Shaked continued. “We’re working with Jewish and Evangelical groups who support Israel in the US, [encouraging] them to boycott Ben & Jerry’s ice cream until they change this outrageous policy of theirs.” Related articles: Ben & Jerry’s accuses Unilever of ousting CEO over social mission Ben and Jerry's may break from Israeli brand over war 'Unilever suppressed our statement because it referenced Trump' Ben & Jerry's sues parent company Unilever
