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The co-founders of the well-known frozen dessert company Ben & Jerry's has announced how parent company the multinational conglomerate blocked the introduction for a new pro-Palestinian frozen dessert product.

Ben Cohen, who co-founded the company with his partner, disclosed how he plans to independently develop this new flavor as part of an individual collection showcasing issues the company has been prevented from speaking out about.

Longstanding Dispute Involving Creators versus Parent Company

This latest development deepens the ongoing tension among the world-famous ice cream maker and Unilever, the British packaged goods giant that has owned Ben & Jerry's since 2000.

Both founders have claimed that Unilever and its ice cream arm Magnum improperly prevented their company from "honouring its social mission".

The Fruit Sorbet as an Emblem of Support

Mr. Cohen announced via social media how he's developing a new watermelon-based sorbet, asking for public suggestions regarding the product's name plus potential ingredients.

“I'm accomplishing what they were prevented from doing,” Mr. Cohen commented from his kitchen. “I'm making a watermelon-based ice cream that advocates for permanent peace for Palestinians and calls for repairing the damage that was done there.”

This particular fruit has emerged as an emblem of support for the Palestinian people because of its coloration, that mirror the colors in the Palestinian flag – red, green, black and white.

Previous Activism plus Recent Changes

In 2021, the ice cream company refused to sell its products in areas under Israeli control, resulting in Unilever selling the Israeli operation over to a local licensee, thus allowing ongoing distribution in disputed territories.

The new dessert series will be created through Ben's Best, the activist ice cream brand which was first created several years back for endorsing former political contender Senator Sanders with the product "Bernie's Back".

Management Shifts and Upcoming Plans

The founder revealed how he plans to develop additional ice cream flavors focusing on concerns that the company was prevented from speaking about openly due to corporate restrictions.

The announcement comes after co-founder Jerry Greenfield resigned his position at the company in September, following many years of involvement, citing worries regarding how its independence was compromised following corporate moves to curb its social activism.

Previously, Mr. Cohen stated that "Jerry 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 fight for corporate autonomy so that it can achieve the social mission, the values which it was founded on and has maintained for decades," he told media outlets.

• Parent company limitations regarding political advocacy
• Independent flavor creation from original creators
• The fruit-based product as political symbol
• Ongoing tensions between corporate ownership versus ethical values