Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield, part of the duo whose names graced the popular ice cream brand over the past half-century, has quit amid a public feud with parent company Unilever over the war in Gaza.

In an open letter shared by his partner Ben Cohen on X, Greenfield said that the Vermont-based company — well-known for its progressive social activism — had in recent years been “silenced” by Unilever, which is currently spinning off its Magnum ice cream unit that includes the Ben & Jerry’s brand.

“It’s with a broken heart that I’ve decided I can no longer, in good conscience, and after 47 years, remain an employee of Ben & Jerry’s,” wrote Greenfield, 74, who had taken on a brand ambassador role at the creamery.

“Standing up for values like justice, equity and shared humanity has never been more important, yet Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced and sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power,” he added, in particular at a time when the current US administration is “attacking civil rights, voting rights, the rights of immigrants, women and the LGBTQ community.”

Greenfield’s letter did not explicitly mention Gaza or Israel, but the ice cream company has repeatedly clashed with Unilever over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including by announcing a boycott of Israeli settlements in 2021 and filing a lawsuit last year over the Gaza war.

A spokesperson for Magnum said that it “disagrees with Greenfield’s perspective and has sought to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry’s powerful values-based position in the world.”

Unilever did not respond to a request for comment.

Ben & Jerry’s — founded by Cohen and Greenfield in a renovated gas station in 1978 — was acquired by Unilever in 2000 for $326 million in a deal that included a unique clause allowing the brand to maintain its own independent board of directors with authority over its social mission, though not over operations.

But lately, the marriage hasn’t been a happy one. In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s announced it would end sales in “Occupied Palestinian Territory,” in what was generally understood as a boycott of Israeli settlements.  The following year, Unilever sold its Israeli Ben & Jerry’s business to a local company that said it would sell the brand under its Hebrew and Arabic name throughout Israel and the West Bank.

In March 2024, Unilever announced the spinoff of the ice cream business — including Ben & Jerry’s — by the end of 2025 as part of a larger restructuring. Unilever also owns personal hygiene brands like Dove soap and food brands like Hellmann’s mayonnaise.

But the acrimony continued. In November, Ben & Jerry’s sued Unilever in federal court in New York, accusing it of silencing Ben & Jerry’s statements in support of Palestinians amid the Gaza war, and described the Gaza conflict as a “genocide,” a rare stance for a major US company.

In its complaint, Ben & Jerry’s said Unilever also refused to let the company release a social media post that identified issues it believed would be challenged during US President Donald Trump’s second term, including the minimum wage, universal health care, abortion and climate change.

Magnum said Greenfield had stepped down as a brand ambassador and that he was not a party to the lawsuit.

Greenfield’s departure comes as the Ben & Jerry’s founders have been calling for the brand’s own spin-off ahead of a planned listing of Magnum Ice Cream in November.

Last week, Cohen held a protest in London as the new Magnum Ice Cream Company presented its growth plans, demanding Unilever “free Ben & Jerry’s” to protect its social values. That was rebuffed by new Magnum CEO Peter ter Kulve. Cohen notably did not announce he was also stepping down on Wednesday.

In May, the 74-year-old Cohen was removed from a US Senate hearing after shouting, “Congress pays for bombs to kill children in Gaza” and startling Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

A longtime critic of Israeli policy, Cohen last year joined prominent Jewish figures in an open letter opposing the pro‑Israel lobby AIPAC.

Greenfield said he would keep up his social fight from outside the company, as he couldn’t do so from inside.

“It was always about more than just ice cream — it was a way to spread love and invite others into the fight for a better world,” he said.