New York (Quds News Network)- Ben & Jerry’s independent board has called Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza a “genocide”, joining voices around the world in condemning the assault. "Ben & Jerry's believes in human rights and advocates for peace, and we join with those around the world who denounce the genocide in Gaza," the board said in a statement viewed by Reuters. "We stand with all who raise their voices against genocide in Gaza - from petition-signers to street marchers to those risking arrest." Earlier this month, the co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s and six other anti-genocide protestors were arrested after interrupting a US Senate hearing to protest Washington’s support for Israel’s assault in Gaza. “Congress kills poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs and pays for it by kicking kids off Medicaid in the US,” Cohen said. Cohen and his Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield are well known for their progressive activism, including opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza and policies in the occupied West Bank. In an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson earlier this month, Cohen, who is Jewish, said the US had a “strange relationship” with Israel that involved Washington “supplying weapons for its genocide”. “Right now, what it means to be American is that we are the world’s largest arms exporter, we have the largest military in the world, we support the slaughter of people in Gaza,” Cohen said. “If somebody protests the slaughter of people in Gaza, we arrest them. What does our country stand for?” The statement by the independent board threatens to deepen the disagreement between Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever. The two sides have been at odds over Israel and Gaza for many months. Ben & Jerry’s leadership has been critical of the Israeli occupation over the years. In 2021, the company said it would stop selling its ice cream in the occupied territories. “We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the company said in a statement at the time. Ben & Jerry's sued its owner last year over its attempts to silence it on Gaza and criticize the U.S. President Donald Trump. A Unilever spokesperson said that the comments reflect the views of the independent social mission board of Ben & Jerry's, and they do not speak for anyone other than themselves. "We call for peace in the region and for relief for all those whose lives have been impacted," the spokesperson said, according to Reuters.