Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist candidate for NYC mayor, claimed he personally urged Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield to cease selling ice cream in the West Bank, a month prior to the company’s announcement to boycott Israel, according to a rediscovered video.

Mamdani, a Queens assemblyman who supports the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, recalled meeting Greenfield at a June 2, 2021 press event. He told Greenfield he was disappointed with the company’s activities in Israel, criticizing their sales in settlements that UN reports have linked to occupation profits.

“Ben & Jerry’s sells ice cream in Israeli settlements and partners with Israeli supermarkets profiting from occupation,” Mamdani stated in a video titled “Teach In: Collective Liberation from Minneapolis to Palestine.” He mentioned telling Greenfield that despite support for social justice in the US, the company remained silent and complicit in Palestine injustice.

He urged Greenfield to “stop selling in Israeli settlements” and to “cancel licensing deals with Israeli supermarkets profiting from these settlements,” advocating for consistent justice principles.

In July 2021, Ben & Jerry’s announced it would end sales in Israeli-occupied territories, citing conflict with its values, leading to backlash, shareholder action, and legal fights with parent company Unilever.

Pro-Israel advocates accused Mamdani’s longstanding push for the ice cream boycott as antisemitic. Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, a former CUNY trustee, called Mamdani “a virulent antisemite,” while Assemblyman Kalman Yeger suggested Mamdani profits from Jew hatred.

New York State’s Comptroller Tom DiNapoli pulled $111 million from Unilever over the West Bank boycott, alongside other officials acting against the parent company.

After recent conflicts, including a statement calling Gaza a “genocide,” Ben & Jerry’s tensions with Unilever have increased. Mamdani also previously pushed for boycotting Cornell Tech due to its partnership with Technion, an Israeli university linked to weapons tech for Israel’s military.

He emphasized the importance of activism, urging supporters to demand accountability from politicians and community leaders supporting BDS, warning that mere words are insufficient without consequences.

Mamdani’s campaign did not comment on the resurfaced clips. His past advocacy for boycotts and external actions underline his long-standing stance supporting BDS and economic measures against Israel, advocating for consistency and justice in activism.