Ben Cohen, the Jewish co-founder of ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s who is known for supporting progressive causes, has told controversial conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson that he “loves Jesus” and that Israel is committing “genocide”.
Cohen, 73, whose parents were both Jewish, attracted media attention four years ago when he co-authored an op ed in the New York Times backing the ice cream maker's decision to stop selling its products in the West Bank.
Speaking to Carlson – who has been accused of platforming Holocaust revisionism – Cohen also questioned Israel’s influence over US foreign policy.
“In terms of a spiritual belief, I mean, I don’t practise a religion,” Cohen said. “I was born a Jew. I love Jesus Christ. I think the words that he said are wonderful, are amazing. And, you know, I’m kind of distressed that a lot of organised Christian religions are not really, I don’t know, abiding by the words of Jesus Christ.
“I think if we could follow the words of Jesus Christ and think about the Sermon on the Mount and, you know, take his words seriously, we wouldn’t be doing the stuff we’re currently doing,” he added.
The interview, which focused mainly on US military spending and the war in Ukraine, ended with a discussion of religion and the war in Gaza.
Cohen accused Israel of pursuing a “concept of greater Israel” and said, “Israel now has the US supplying weapons for its genocide”.
He also criticised US policy in the region. “Right now what it means to be American is that we are the world’s largest arms exporter, we have the largest military in the world, we support the slaughter of people in Gaza,” he said. “If somebody protests the slaughter of people in Gaza, we arrest them. What does our country stand for?”
The “Greater Israel” concept typically refers to Israeli control of territory beyond its 1967 borders, not regional military operations or policy towards Iran, which was the subject of that part of the interview.
It is not the first time Cohen has made inflammatory remarks about Israel’s war against Hamas.
In March, he said: “It’s not a war, it’s a slaughter,” and compared Israeli airstrikes to the Holocaust: “I don’t think there’s much difference between somebody getting killed by a bomb or getting killed by being thrown in a gas chamber.”
In April 2000, Ben & Jerry's was bought by the multinational food giant Unilever. Since the purchase, Cohen and co-founder Jerry Greenfield have continued to be involved at the company but Greenfield said in an interview they had "no responsibility, no authority, and very little influence."
In July 2021 Ben & Jerry’s in the US announced it would stop selling ice cream in Israeli territory over the Green Line.
In June 2022, Unilever announced that it had sold its Ben & Jerry’s division in Israel to American Quality Products.
