Palestine solidarity organization Adalah-NY was recently involved in two actions against Lev Leviev, the Israeli diamond magnate and construction mogul. The first action called on the British government to reverse its plan to rent its new embassy in Tel Aviv from Levievâs company, Africa-Israel, as dealings with Leviev serve to condone the Occupationâs settlement construction on stolen Palestinian land.
Adalah-NYâs call was part of a letter-writing campaign to the British Foreign Office, which Adalah-NY spearheaded, as part of large alliance of Palestinian and international civil society, including Architects & Planners for Justice in Palestine, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, War on Want, the West Bank villages of Bilâin and Jayyous, the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee, Jews Against the Occupation.
Adalah-NYâs second action against Leviev came on September 23, when the organization set up a protest at a glitzy fundraiser sponsored by Lev Leviev for the Museum of the City of New York.
***image2***At this yearâs âNew York After Darkâ event, wealthy attendees were greeted by noisy protesters with drums, whistles and chants. Despite the efforts of fifteen New York City police officers to prevent the protestors from reaching the attendees, the protestors were able to distribute flyers featuring cartoon Wanted photos of Leviev. The flyers were entitled ‘Wanted: Lev Leviev, For Breaking International Law’, and they cited offences including the construction by Levievâs companies Africa Israel and Leader of the Israeli settlements Mattityahu East, Zufim, Har Homa and Maale Adumim on Palestinian land in the West Bank.
Lev Leviev is a billionaire whose companiesâ settlement construction projects – Mattityahu East in Modiâin Illit, Zufim, Ma’ale Adumim and Har Homa – are central to the Occupations efforts to seize control of and annex strategic areas of the West Bank. They take water and key agricultural areas from Palestinians and serve to carve up the West Bank into isolated enclaves. Maâale Adumim and Har Homa are part of the Jerusalem settlement envelope and serves to cut off East Jerusalem from the rest of West Bank. Leviev also provides significant financial support to the Land Redemption Fund, an organization whose aim is to secure Palestinian land for settlement construction.
Public pressure has been mounting against Leviev, and over the past year both UNICEF and Oxfam have cut ties with him because of his companiesâ involvement in settlement construction. Leviev has also received a barrage of negative media, and the companies of Shaya Boymelgree, Levievâs partner in one settlement, are being sued in Canadian courts for war crimes by the West Bank village of Bilâin.
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See https://adalahny.org/ for more information