Ben & Jerry’s Cofounder Arrested for Gaza Protest at US Senate: Calls Out US Complicity in Israeli War
- Abeera Marium Siddiqui
- May 16, 2025
- 10:43 am
- 39
- Trending
Ben & Jerry’s cofounder arrested during a US Senate hearing has sparked national debate over America’s role in the ongoing war in Gaza. Ben Cohen, 74, who is Jewish and known for his progressive activism, stood up during the session and began shouting at lawmakers.
He interrupted Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s testimony about the federal health budget. Cohen accused Congress of funding bombs for Israel while cutting support for US programs like Medicaid. As police led him out, he shouted, “Congress kills poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs and pays for it by kicking kids off Medicaid in the US.”
Capitol Police arrested Cohen along with six other protesters. Authorities charged the group with “crowding, obstructing, or incommoding,” and in some cases, resisting arrest and assaulting an officer. Cohen faced only the lesser charge, which carries a possible 90-day jail sentence or a $500 fine.
Cohen told AFP that the protest aimed to give a voice to millions of Americans who feel angry and helpless over the situation in Gaza. “It got to a point where we had to do something,” he said after his release. He called it scandalous that the US approved $20 billion in bombs for Israel while reducing healthcare support at home.
He also pointed to America’s large military budget. “If you spent half of that money making lives better worldwide, I think there’d be a lot less friction,” he said.
Cohen’s criticism didn’t stop at military spending. He also challenged the morality of US policy. “Condoning and being complicit in the slaughter of tens of thousands of people strikes at the core of us as far as human beings and what our country stands for,” he added.
The Gaza conflict continues to escalate. Since October 2023, Israeli strikes have killed nearly 52,900 Palestinians, most of them women and children. In just the past 24 hours, Israeli attacks killed 33 more people and injured 94 others, according to Gaza health authorities. Total injuries have now surpassed 119,000.
The Israeli army resumed assaults on March 18 after a short ceasefire. Since then, it has killed at least 2,749 more people and wounded over 7,600. The war has led to a humanitarian catastrophe. A UN-backed food security report now says Gaza is at “critical risk of famine,” with 22% of the population facing extreme hunger.
Cohen didn’t shy away from calling the US-Israel relationship “strange” and dangerous. Speaking to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson earlier this month, he said, “Right now, what it means to be American is that we are the world’s largest arms exporter. We support the slaughter of people in Gaza. If somebody protests the slaughter of people in Gaza, we arrest them.”
He also joined other Jewish leaders in an open letter against AIPAC, a powerful pro-Israel lobbying group. Cohen said he uses his public profile to amplify the voices of many who feel the same way. “I speak for millions of people,” he said.
This isn’t the first time Ben & Jerry’s has taken a stand on Israel’s policies. In 2021, the company stopped allowing its Israeli licensee to sell ice cream in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. They said doing so was “inconsistent with our values.” Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s parent company, later settled a legal case after the brand filed a lawsuit claiming its CEO was fired for supporting its social mission.
Israel currently faces several international legal challenges. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza. Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice is hearing a genocide case against Israel for its actions in the enclave.
Public opinion in the US is shifting. A recent Pew Research Center poll found that support for Israel is falling, especially among Democrats. Many now question how much longer the US will continue to back a war that has devastated Gaza and shocked much of the world.
