(JTA) – Illinois state pension will cede to Unilever, the parent company of Ben and Jerry’s, following the ice cream company’s decision this summer to stop selling ice cream in the West Bank to protest against the Israeli occupation of the region.

The Illinois Investment Policy Board voted 7-0 to add Uniliver to its “list of prohibited entities.” It was not yet clear when state agencies should part ways with the company.

Illinois becomes at least the fifth state to divest from Unilever, although diktats vary; some states do not require any additional investment but allow existing investments to be maintained.

The other states that are pulling out of Uniliver as a result of Ben & Jerry’s decision are New York, New Jersey, Arizona and Illinois. At least three other states among the 34 states that penalize boycotts of Israel have launched reviews that could lead to divestment.

The ice cream company announced in July that it would stop selling ice cream in the West Bank. In announcing the decision, the company broke a two-month silence on social media that began with the violent conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in May.

“We believe that it is incompatible with our values ​​that Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is sold in the occupied Palestinian territory“, the company said at the time. “We also hear and recognize the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners.”

In 2015, Illinois became the first state to pass a law prohibiting the state pension fund from investing in companies that participate in the boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaign against Israel.

Since then, some 33 states have passed similar laws or issued decrees prohibiting state pension funds from investing in companies that boycott Israel.

In July, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Gilad Erdan, wrote a letter to the governors of those states urging them to enforce their anti-BDS laws and withdraw from Ben and Jerry’s.

It was not clear at the time whether Ben and Jerry’s decision would impact Unilever, which bought Ben & Jerry’s in 2000 from its Jewish founders, Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen, in a unique arrangement. which allows an external board to determine how the company adopts social and political causes. Ben & Jerry’s said at the time that it remained committed to selling its ice cream within 1967 Israeli lines, although this may not be possible under Israeli law.