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One of the original creators behind the famous ice cream brand Ben and Jerry's has claimed that parent company the multinational conglomerate stopped the launch of an innovative pro-Palestinian ice cream flavor.

Ben Cohen, who established the business alongside Jerry Greenfield, disclosed that he will independently develop the controversial product within a personal series showcasing issues Ben & Jerry's has been barred from speaking out about.

Longstanding Conflict Between Founders and Parent Company

This latest announcement intensifies the continuing disagreement between the internationally recognized ice cream maker and its corporate parent, the UK-based packaged goods corporation which has owned the ice cream brand since 2000.

Both founders maintain how the parent company along with its ice cream arm Magnum improperly prevented Ben & Jerry's against "honouring its social mission".

The Fruit Flavor becoming a Symbol for Support

The entrepreneur stated through an Instagram video how he is creating a new watermelon-flavored sorbet, asking for public suggestions regarding naming options and additional components.

“I'm doing what they were prevented from doing,” the founder commented in a cooking set. “I'm making a watermelon-based ice cream that calls for lasting ceasefire for Palestinians while demanding repairing the damage that was done there.”

The watermelon has emerged as a symbol for solidarity with the Palestinian people because of its colors, which mirror those of Palestine's national banner – red, green, black and white.

Previous Social Engagement and Recent Developments

Several years ago, Ben & Jerry's refused to sell its products in areas occupied by Israel, resulting in Unilever selling their Israel business to an Israeli distributor, thereby permitting continued sales within the occupied West Bank.

This upcoming product line will be created through Mr. Cohen's personal brand, the activist ice cream brand that originally created in 2016 to support former political contender Senator Sanders with the flavor "Bernie's Back".

Leadership Shifts and Future Plans

The founder stated how he will create other ice cream flavors focusing on issues which the company was silenced from speaking about openly by corporate restrictions.

This development comes after co-founder Jerry Greenfield stepped down his position at Ben & Jerry's in September, following decades of involvement, mentioning concerns that the company's autonomy was undermined following corporate moves to restrict its social activism.

Previously, Ben Cohen remarked how “My partner has strong compassion and the ongoing dispute with Unilever was deeply distressing him."

“My conscience compels me to keep working inside the company to advocate for corporate autonomy so that the company can actualise its ethical purpose, the principles that it was founded on and has maintained for over 40 years," he told media outlets.

• Parent company limitations regarding social activism
• Independent flavor creation by company founders
• The fruit-based product as social statement
• Continuing tensions among corporate ownership and ethical values