Washington, July 20 (IANS) American ice-cream giant, Ben & Jerry's has announced that it will end the sale of its products in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).

In a statement on Monday night, the company said: "We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry's ice cream to be sold in the OPT. We also hear and recognise the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners.

"We have a longstanding partnership with our licensee, who manufactures Ben & Jerry's ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region. We have been working to change this, and so we have informed our licensee that we will not renew the license agreement when it expires at the end of next year.

"Although Ben & Jerry's will no longer be sold in the OPT, we will stay in Israel through a different arrangement."

The local franchisee in Israel has distributed Ben & Jerry's since 1987.

Through the franchise, the company has a manufacturing facility and two scoop shops south of Tel Aviv, NBC News reported on Tuesday.

The arrangement is set to expire in December 2022.

--IANS ksk/