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One of the original creators behind the famous frozen dessert company Ben and Jerry's has announced that corporate owner Unilever blocked the introduction of an innovative Palestine-themed ice cream flavor.

Ben Cohen, that established the business with Jerry Greenfield, announced how he plans to personally create the controversial flavor within a personal collection highlighting causes the company was barred from addressing publicly.

Longstanding Conflict Between Founders and Corporate Owner

This latest development deepens the ongoing conflict between the internationally recognized dessert company and its corporate parent, the British consumer goods giant that has owned Ben & Jerry's for over two decades.

The co-founders have asserted that Unilever and its ice cream arm Magnum unlawfully blocked their company against "maintaining its activist principles".

The Fruit Sorbet becoming a Symbol for Support

Mr. Cohen stated through social media how he's developing a new watermelon-flavored sorbet, asking for consumer ideas regarding naming options and potential ingredients.

“I'm accomplishing what they were prevented from doing,” Mr. Cohen stated in a cooking set. “I'm creating a watermelon-based frozen dessert that calls for permanent peace in Palestine and calls for addressing the harm that was done there.”

This particular fruit has emerged as an emblem for support for the Palestinian people because of its colors, that match the colors in Palestine's national banner – red, green, black and white.

Previous Activism and Current Developments

Several years ago, the ice cream company ceased sales of its products in territories under Israeli control, resulting in Unilever selling the Israeli operation to an Israeli distributor, thus allowing continued sales in the occupied West Bank.

This upcoming product line is being developed under Ben's Best, the activist ice cream brand which was first established in 2016 to support ex- US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders with the flavor "Bernie's Return".

Management Changes and Future Plans

The founder stated that he will create additional ice cream flavors that address issues which Ben & Jerry's was prevented from addressing publicly due to Unilever.

This development comes after co-founder Mr. Greenfield resigned his position at the company recently, after decades of involvement, citing concerns regarding how the company's autonomy had been compromised following corporate moves to curb their advocacy work.

Previously, Ben Cohen remarked how "Jerry has a really big heart and the ongoing dispute with our parent company was deeply distressing him."

“My conscience leads me to continue to work inside the company to fight for its independence ensuring that it can achieve its ethical purpose, the principles that it was founded on while upholding for decades," he told journalists.

• Parent company limitations regarding political advocacy
• Independent flavor creation by original creators
• Watermelon flavor as social statement
• Continuing tensions between parent company versus social mission