Ben & Jerry's independent board accuses Unilever of preventing the ice cream brand from advocating for Palestinian rights.

The ice cream maker claimed in a lawsuit that its parent company tried to stop it from expressing support for Palestinian refugees.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that parent company Unilever has silenced its attempts to express support for Palestinian refugees and threatened to dismantle its board and sue its members over the issue.

Ben & Jerry’s said in the lawsuit it has tried to call for a ceasefire, support the safe passage of Palestinian refugees to Britain, back students protesting at US colleges against civilian deaths in Gaza, and advocate for a halt in US military aid to Israel. The court filing was first reported by Reuters.

In escalation of long-running tensions, the ice-cream brand says its parent company blocked statements in support of Palestinian rights.

The independent board of Ben & Jerry’s has accused its parent company, Unilever Plc, of silencing it on advocating for Palestinian rights, in contravention of an agreement between the two.

Ben & Jerry's has taken its own parent firm to court over claims it has "silenced" the ice cream brand's support for "Palestinian refugees". In a lawsuit filed yesterday in the US, Ben & Jerry's claimed Unilever had threatened to dismantle its board and sue its members over their pro-Palestine stance - the latest blow in a long-running row between