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March 11 2008, Letter to The Waldorf-Astoria re Friends of IDF fundraiser

Adalah-NY: The Coalition for Justice in the Middle East
www.adalahny.org, [email protected]

 

TO: The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, NY

SUBJ: Cancel March 18 “Friends of IDF Fundraiser” over Israeli human rights violations

DATE: March 11, 2008

As thirteen organizations working for human rights, social justice, and peace, we demand that The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan rescind its agreement to host the March 18 fundraiser for “Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.” The Israeli military has been historically a flagrant violator of human rights and international law as demonstrated by last week’s attack on Gaza which killed over 100 Palestinians, the 2006 attack on Lebanon, and the 60-year assault on and dispossession of the Palestinian people.

We call on The Waldorf-Astoria to adhere to standards of corporate social responsibility that prohibit support for violators of laws and human rights. Among other activities, “Friends of the Israel Defense Forces” explains on its website that it helps to establish and renovate facilities on Israeli army bases. We are shocked that a respected institution like The Waldorf-Astoria would host a fundraiser benefitting a foreign armed group, especially one guilty of egregious human rights violations. We question if The Waldorf-Astoria would facilitate fundraising for armed groups from other foreign countries.

The human rights violations committed by the Israeli military over the past 60 years are severe. Last week the respected Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem reported that, “From 27 February to the afternoon of 3 March, 106 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip. Contrary to the [Israeli] Chief of Staff’s contention that ninety percent were armed, at least fifty-four of the dead (twenty-five of them minors) did not take part in the hostilities. In addition, at least forty-six minors were wounded.” Furthermore, during last week’s fighting, Israel’s Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai threatened Gaza’s people with “a bigger holocaust.”

As Human Rights Watch noted in a detailed 2005 report, “Promoting Impunity,” “The Israeli military has fostered a climate of impunity in its ranks by failing to thoroughly investigate whether soldiers have killed and injured Palestinian civilians unlawfully or failed to protect them from harm… Israeli forces have killed or seriously injured thousands of Palestinians who were not taking part in the hostilities. However, the Israeli authorities have investigated fewer than five percent of the fatal incidents to determine whether soldiers were responsible for using force unlawfully. The investigations they did conduct fell far short of international standards for independent and impartial inquiries.”

While we grieve for all the Israeli military’s recent Palestinian and Lebanese victims, we note with sadness that the Waldorf-Astoria event falls days after the fifth anniversary, on March 16th, of the army’s killing of US civilian Rachel Corrie, who was crushed to death by an Israeli-army-operated Caterpillar bulldozer while blocking the demolition of the home of a Palestinian family in Gaza.

The March 18 fundraiser praising a military that has conducted a 41-year occupation also falls a few hours before the fifth anniversary of the attack and occupation of Iraq by the United States, Israel’s closest ally and provider of military aid. Israel and the US’ military occupations of Palestine and Iraq and their accompanying human rights abuses are not causes to celebrate. We must pressure these governments to end both military occupations.

The Israeli military also enforces a discriminatory, apartheid system. For example, in the West Bank the army is directly involved in the seizure of Palestinian land to build colonial settlements for Jews only as well as Israel’s wall, all in violation of international law. Palestinian communities which have conducted long nonviolent campaigns to prevent the seizure of their land like Bil'in, Budrus, Biddu, Beit Liqya, Al Zawiyya, Jayyous and Um Salomona, have suffered ten deaths and hundreds of injuries at the hands of the military. Since 1948, in violation of international laws guaranteeing refugee rights, Israel’s military has prevented the return of the over 800,000 Palestinian refugees and their descendants, now numbering in the millions, who were driven from their homes by Jewish militias and the Israeli army.

In Lebanon, Human Rights watch reported in September, 2007 that “Israel’s indiscriminate airstrikes… caused most of the approximately 900 civilian deaths in Lebanon during the July-August 2006 war.” A February, 2008 report by Human Rights Watch “found that Israel violated international humanitarian law in its indiscriminate and disproportionate cluster munition attacks on Lebanon.” Israel dropped “as many as 4.6 million submunitions across southern Lebanon… the vast majority over the final three days of the war when Israel knew a settlement was imminent… causing long-term and large-scale disruption of the largely agricultural economy,” and “about 200 civilian casualties since the war’s end.”

Finally, as many of our groups have recently affirmed, Israel’s ongoing use of U.S. weapons to enforce an illegal military occupation and to commit human rights abuses places it in violation of US law, specifically the Arms Export Control Act and Foreign Assistance Act.

Corporations have a responsibility to uphold human rights and international law. In light of the Israeli military’s longstanding and repeated failure to respect accepted laws and norms, we call on The Waldorf-Astoria to rescind its decision to host the March 18 fundraiser for “Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.”

Signed by,

Adalah-NY: The Coalition for Justice in the Middle East (www.adalahny.org)
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee-New York (www.adcnewyork.org)
Arab Muslim American Federation
Combatants for Peace (www.combatantsforpeace.org)
Jews Against the Occupation-NYC (www.jato.nyc.org)
Jewish Voice for Peace (www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org)
National Council of Arab-Americans – Metropolitan New York Chapter
Palestinian American Congress – New York
Rachel’s Words (www.rachelswords.org)
Troops Out Now Coalition (www.troopsoutnow.org)
United for Peace and Justice (www.unitedforpeace.org)
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation (www.endtheoccupation.org)
WESPAC Foundation (www.wespac.org)

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Correcting media reports, Oxfam says received no support from Leviev, condemns Israeli settlements

Adalah-NY Contacts: [email protected]

New York, NY, Jan 14, 2008 – Correcting earlier media reports of a relationship between Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev and Oxfam, Oxfam told the New York City human rights group Adalah-NY that “Leviev has not been a donor to Oxfam.” Oxfam explained that it does not “knowingly accept funds from any business involved in any illegal activity, or operating in any illegally occupied territory, including settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.” Following reports that Leviev contributes to Oxfam in Women’s Wear Daily, Lifestyles Magazine and on the news site of the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, of which Leviev is the President, Adalah-NY had written to Oxfam asking the international charity to reject contributions from Leviev. There was no immediate explanation of why these publications had reported that Leviev supported Oxfam.

Adalah-NY began a boycott campaign focusing on Israeli diamond mogul Lev Leviev due to his companies’ settlement construction in the Occupied West Bank in violation of international law, and his abuse of marginalized communities in Angola and New York City. Adalah-NY has conducted five protests over two months at Leviev’s new Madison Avenue jewelry store. In December, US actress Susan Sarandon was asked to cut ties with Leviev by the West Bank villages of Bil’in and Jayyous where Leviev is building settlements, the US organization Jewish Voice for Peace, Israel’s Coalition of Women for Peace, and leading Palestinian civil society organizations.

A September 5, 2007 article in Women’s Wear Daily on Leviev claimed that Leviev is “a philanthropist” who is involved with “Oxfam America,” among others. A December 28, 2007 article in Lifestyles Magazine about Leviev, entitled “The Benefactor” noted that Leviev’s “philanthropic activities” touched US charities including “Oxfam America.” The Lifestyles Magazine article, including the claim of ties to Oxfam America, was also posted on the news site of Leviev’s Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS.

Following these media reports, Adalah-NY sent a January 8 open letter to Oxfam noting that Leviev had been “touting his charitable contributions to Oxfam to deflect scrutiny from his violations of international law and his role in the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.” Citing settlement construction by Leviev’s companies, his company’s complicity in cutting the fuel supply to the Gaza Strip, and his companies' violations in Angola and in New York City, Adalah-NY called on Oxfam “to raise your prominent voice in bringing to light Leviev's unlawful and unethical activities.” (The full letter to Oxfam)

January 11 emails to Adalah-NY from Alex Renton of Oxfam Great Britain and Adrienne Smith of Oxfam America responded that: “Contrary to various citations, Lev Leviev is not a donor to Oxfam America and has never been one. To the best of our knowledge Mr. Leviev has not been a donor to Oxfam or any of its affiliates. Oxfam International is an organization of 13 national affiliates working in 100 countries, and we are checking thoroughly whether any Oxfam has had any relationship with Mr. Leviev.”

“Oxfam’s policies on donations, corporate and private, are clear. We don’t knowingly accept funds from any business involved in any illegal activity, or operating in any illegally occupied territory, including settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Oxfam abides by international humanitarian law, and thus has a long-standing policy of opposition to such settlements.” Oxfam’s response was also posted on the Israeli website www.kibush.co.il and on the UK website www.bigcampaign.org.uk/.

Adalah-NY spokesperson Ethan Heitner commented, “We are unable to explain why articles praising Leviev and touting his charitable contributions, including an article on the news site of an organization he heads, claimed a link with Oxfam which Oxfam has now verified doesn’t exist. We are gratified that Oxfam has reiterated its longstanding opposition to Israeli settlement construction and refusal to accept donations from businesses like Leviev’s that are involved in violations of international law.”

 

 

Update: Adalah-NY Letter to Oxfam on Lev Leviev
January 11, 2008

Adalah-NY, a grassroots strategic alliance of concerned organizations and individuals in New York, confirmed today with Oxfam America and Oxfam Great Britain that, contrary to reports in a number of online and print publications, Israeli billionaire and settlement-builder Lev Leviev is not and has never been a donor to any of the Oxfam member organizations.

Reports that Leviev was an Oxfam donor first appeared in sources such as Women's Wear Daily, Lifestyles Magazine and on the website of the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, of which Leviev is president.. Leviev has been widely criticized for illegal and unethical business practices in places such as Palestine, Angola and Brooklyn. Oxfam stated in conversations with Adalah-NY that it had conducted extensive searches of its records and confirmed that such reports are incorrect.

Adalah-NY is continuing to investigate the matter and will issue further updates as our understanding of the matter develops.

 

 

An Open Letter to Oxfam: Refrain from Accepting Donations from Lev Leviev
From Adalah-NY

Mr. Mark Bailey
Oxfam International
Occupied East Jerusalem

January 8, 2008

Dear Mr. Bailey:

Recognizing Oxfam's admirable efforts in defense of human rights and justice worldwide, it is with concern we bring to your attention that Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev is touting his charitable contributions to Oxfam[1] to deflect scrutiny from his violations of international law and his role in the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian territories.
 
As Oxfam has acknowledged, all of Israel's rapidly expanding settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories contravene international law.[2] Mr. Leviev's companies, Africa Israel and Leader Management and Development, are displacing Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank and threatening their livelihood by building homes in the Israeli settlements of Zufim,[3] Mattiyahu East,[4] Maale Adumim and Har Homa.[5] Previously Danya Cebus, the subsidiary of Africa Israel that builds settlements, was also contracted to build homes in the settlement of Adam.[6] The five settlements in which Leviev has built homes seize vital Palestinian water resources and agricultural land, carving the West Bank into disconnected enclaves and rendering the creation of a viable Palestinian state impossible. Up to half the population of the farming village of Jayyous is on food aid, according to the Financial Times,[7] because the expansion of the all-Jewish settlement of Zufim, coupled with the construction of Israel’s wall, separates them from two-thirds of their land and six water wells. Meanwhile residents of Bil'in, who along with the villagers of Jayyous have engaged in a three year non-violent campaign against the theft of their lands and the illegal construction of the wall, stand to lose 50 percent of their land to the Mattityahu East settlement. Residents of Jayyous and Bil'in[8]—along with prominent Palestinian civil society organizations,[9] Israel’s Coalition of Women for Peace,[10] and Jewish Voice for Peace[11]—have issued public statements supporting a boycott of Leviev's businesses.
 
Leviev is also a primary donor to the right-wing Land Redemption Fund according to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.[12] The Land Redemption Fund allegedly uses fraud and strong-arm tactics to extort land from Palestinians for settlement expansion.
 
In addition to his development of illegal Israeli settlements, Mr. Leviev is implicated in the worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza. In a November 21, 2007 press release,[13] Oxfam reported on the plight of civilians in Gaza, specifically the denial of enough drinking water for 1.5 million Palestinians due to Israeli-imposed fuel restrictions that have rendered water pumps inoperable. Only weeks earlier five Gazans drowned in a wave of waste overflowing from a malfunctioning sewage plant that Oxfam stated had not been repaired as a result of the severely limited supply of diesel and spare parts. Adalah-NY recalls Oxfam's demand "for the immediate resumption of unimpeded fuel deliveries to the territory" and your call to "the international community to speak out against the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and to hold responsible actors accountable for protection of civilians".
 
While Adalah-NY applauds Oxfam for holding the Israeli government accountable for the crisis in Gaza, the government is not acting alone. We direct your attention again to Mr. Leviev, whose company Africa Israel (originally named Africa Palestine Investments Ltd.[14] —the motives behind this substitution are not so subtle) controls 26% percent of Dor Energy.[15] The respected Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz Daily disclosed on Dec. 3[16] that Dor Energy, the sole fuel supplier to the people of Gaza (it enjoys "exclusive rights" courtesy of the Israeli government), independently and severely cut Gaza's fuel supply despite the tragic repercussions for ordinary civilians:
 
"The current gas and diesel shortage in Gaza, which has resulted in the closure of nearly 70 percent of all stations there, is not, however, the result of the Israeli government's decision to cut fuel supplies to the Hamas-controlled Strip. Months ago the defense establishment cut the gasoline supply to the Strip by 12 percent, and diesel by 5 percent. It turns out that unpaid bills to Dor Energy - the Israeli fuel supplier – is what has led to the current, drastic situation. According to the Association of Gas Stations in Gaza, Dor Energy has cut its fuel supply by nearly 75 percent in recent days."
 
Further implicating Dor Energy, a November 6 article in Ha’aretz [17] revealed:
 
“Dor Alon V.P. marketing and sales Uri Shmuel was arrested yesterday on suspicion of selling fuel originally meant for the Palestinian Authority […]The Haifa Customs and VAT investigations department has been conducting a covert investigation for months, suspecting that fuels meant for use in the PA have not been reaching their destination, but are being sold within Israel off-record.”
 
At the mercy of their Israeli occupiers, Gazans have no alternative but to depend upon Israeli corporations such as Dor Energy for fuel. Israel controls the movement of all goods into and out of Gaza, and controls Gaza’s airspace and seacoast. As the monopoly fuel supplier to the Gaza Strip, Dor Energy enjoys inflated prices at the expense of Palestinian civilians. Though a major offshore natural gas field with an estimated 1.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas has been discovered merely twenty miles from Gaza's coast, for nearly a decade Israel has blocked the development of the untapped resource, which according to experts "could provide the foundation for sustainable economic growth" and Palestinian fuel self-sufficiency.[18]
 
Mr. Leviev, ranked the 210th wealthiest businessman in the world by Forbes Magazine, profits from the denial of Palestinians' right to develop their natural resources, and, is a principal actor in the worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
 
Yet Mr. Leviev's human rights abuses do not end nor begin in Palestine. Leviev began to accumulate his vast fortune by trading in diamonds with the apartheid South African regime as a DeBeers site holder, while the rest of the world was building the boycott movement against the Apartheid government. In Angola Leviev enjoys a special relationship with the Dos Santos government to mine the country's diamonds. Under President Dos Santos, Angola has failed to hold presidential or legislative elections since 1992. Leviev shares headquarters with and employs the private security firm K&P Mineira, which has been accused of torturing, sexually abusing and even murdering Angolans so that they "can be the sole beneficiaries of the diamond resources leaving locals with virtually nothing.”[19] Your Feb. 21, 2007 press release "Oxfam concerned over rising harassment of activists addressing impact of oil and mining in Africa"[20] corroborates this dismal picture of a majority of Angolans drowning in extreme poverty while opportunistic miners like Mr. Leviev reap exorbitant profits from the resource-rich country.
 
More recently, in September 2007 The Sunday Times of London stated that one of its investigative reporters was offered a Burmese ruby for sale at Leviev's London jewelry store, possibly "blood rubies" used to finance Myanmar's military junta.[21] The European Union has threatened Leviev with prosecution if he fails to abide by EU sanctions against the oppressive Burmese regime.[22]
 
Adalah-NY launched a boycott campaign against Mr. Leviev this past November to expose his exploitation of marginalized people in Palestine, Angola, and in our very own communities. Mr. Leviev and his former partner Shaya Boymelgreen, who also is engaged in illegal-settlement building in the Occupied Territories[23], came under fire from housing activists and labor unions in New York City for employing underpaid, non-union workers in hazardous conditions for their local development schemes.[24] In public statements and in their own defense, Leviev and his partners repeatedly assert that those who criticize Mr. Leviev are not aware of his philanthropy. However, we are well aware of Leviev's well-publicized charitable contributions,[25] which are little compensation for his extensive human rights abuses and exploitation of impoverished people worldwide. As Angolan human rights activist Rafael Marquez put it best in a statement in which he refers to Mr. Leviev:
 
"…the diamond companies are happily publicizing their good deeds in terms of social responsibility […] But the locals cannot see such deeds. This prompts the question: Is the manipulation of social responsibility providing a license to kill and abuse people's rights?"
 
Noting the declaration in your mission statement "We influence powerful people",[26] as well as your longstanding work towards economic and social justice for marginalized communities globally, we call upon Oxfam, which has been cited as a recipient of Mr. Leviev's ill-gotten money, to hold Leviev accountable for his record of abuse; to publicly refrain from accepting any contributions from Mr. Leviev that will only be used to conceal his abuses and impoverish communities from Palestine to Angola; and to raise your prominent voice in bringing to light Leviev's unlawful and unethical activities.
 
We look forward to your response.
 
Sincerely,
 
 
Adalah-NY: The Coalition for Justice in the Middle East
 
 
 
Cc: Oxfam International (Oxford, Great Britain) and Oxfam America
 
 
 

[1] Various sources, including most recently the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS which is headed by Leviev, have reported Leviev’s philanthropic activities in support of Oxfam America, http://www.fjc.ru/news/newsArticle.asp?AID=618824

[2] Pg. 35, http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/policy/conflict_disasters/downloads/bp28_forgotten.pdf

[3] http://adalahny.org/resource/977/coalition-women-peace-letter-susan-sarandon,
http://www.ww3report.com/105/palestine/jayyous,
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=8350,
http://adalahny.org/resource/983/israeli-government-document-showing-levievs-ownership-company-lider-building-zufim-sett

[4] http://adalahny.org/campaign-main-document/541/sources-re-danya-cebus-construction-mattityahu-east

[5] http://adalahny.org/campaign-main-document/544/sources-re-danya-cebus-construction-har-homa-and-maale-adumim-2007

[6] http://adalahny.org/campaign-main-document/540/sources-re-danya-cebus-construction-maale-adumim-2000-and-adam-2003

[7] http://www.catdestroyshomes.org/article.php?id=528

[8] http://imeu.net/news/article007429.shtml

[9] http://stopthewall.org/analysisandfeatures/1584.shtml

[10] http://adalahny.org/resource/977/coalition-women-peace-letter-susan-sarandon

[11] http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/publish/article_928.shtml

[12] http://www.peacenow.org/hot.asp?cid=247

[13] http://www.oxfam.org/en/news/2007/pr071121_gaza_public_health

[14] http://www.africa-israel.com/pdf/2_2_report_corp_eng.pdf

[15] http://www.africa-israel.com/eng/inner.asp?id=9500&pid=8100

[16] http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/930339.html

[17] https://www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/spages/920710.html

[18] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/11/07/do0705.xml

[19] http://www.reports-and-materials.org/Marques-lecture-Rinsing-Blood-from-Angola-Diamonds-26-Jan-2007.doc

[20] http://www.oxfam.org/en/news/2007/pr070221_harassment_of_activists

[21] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2558552.ece

[22] http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/126712.html

[23] http://adalahny.org/campaign-main-document/545/sources-re-boymlegreen-management-green-park-project

[24] www.shayaiscoming.org

[25] http://www.nationaljewelernetwork.com/njn/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003676589

[26] http://www.oxfam.org/en/about/

 

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Letter To Susan Sarandon by Reps of Palestinian Civil Society

 

Letter to Susan Sarandon from the Steering Committee for the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Campaign: http://www.bds-palestine.net

 

The letter is also posted here: http://stopthewall.org/analysisandfeatures/1584.shtml

 

Palestine, December 28 2007

Dear Susan Sarandon,

We have heard and seen, with sorrow, your pictures making your way through a picket line in front of Lev Leviev’s new jewelry shop in New York. It was disturbing to know that a prominent figure like you, known for her clear moral standings, has accepted to contribute to the profits made with blood diamonds and invested in the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

We believe that you were not aware of the motivations behind the picket and the practical support for war crimes in Palestine clients at Lev Leviev’s shop are lending. We are happy to hear that you are exploring the issue, and we know that the details of Leviev’s involvement in the Israeli colonization of Palestine have been brought to your knowledge. Settlements are destroying Palestinian lives and livelihoods, contribute to the displacement and expulsion of the Palestinian people, and are war crimes under international law.

As UNICEF goodwill ambassador you should be particularly aware of the plight of the Palestinian children caused by the Israeli occupation and colonies. Israel currently keeps some 450 children in prisons. Since September 2000, over 800 children have been killed and over 300 schools have been damaged by Israeli military attacks. In the settlements in the Jordan Valley, Palestinian child labour is employed. In Beit Ur, Palestinian children are forced to go to school via a drainage hole in the Apartheid Wall, built to guarantee the expansion of Beit Horon settlement.

We know about your opposition to the war in Iraq and believe that it is of crucial importance that prominent figures come out to speak about justice and against war and occupation everywhere. You have yourself denounced the distorting US media coverage of the Iraq war. We can assure you mainstream media reports on Palestine are even more distorted, misinforming and biased. Several Palestinian and US independent media outlets shed light on the reality;however, we believe that only by coming here and seeing with your own eyes the reality produced by Israeli occupation and apartheid will you be able to fully understand the extent of oppression and racist segregation the Palestinian people has to face day after day.

We hope that this will help you understand the urgency of our call for boycott, divestment and sanctions, or BDS, as a non-violent, civil form of pressure against Israel until it complies with international law and universal human rights.

Israel has repeatedly shown that negotiations and dialogue are for it but a masquerade to continue its colonization of Palestinian land. Only days after the much promoted Annapolis conference Israel has unveiled the real meaning of the newly created round of “peace negotiations” by announcing further settlement construction in the Har Homa colony and continuing to kill and arrest innocent Palestinians on a daily basis.

Inspired by the moral high ground gained by the global movement to isolate apartheid South Africa, Palestinian civil society has called on July 2005 on the world to start once again a boycott movement in the pursuit of justice.

Only systematic and effective international pressure and the resulting rise in the cost of military occupation have any chance of bringing us all closer to a just and sustainable peace.

Since its launch in 2005, the global movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions has gained notable successes among social movements, organizations and celebrities that have come out for Palestinian rights, regardless of attacks from those backing the continuous human rights abuses, war, occupation and apartheid in Palestine.

We hope you will be joining Adalah- NY’s just campaign by severing your ties with Leviev owned businesses, showing, again, your political and moral sensibility.

We hope to be able to welcome you in Palestine in the near future.

Signed by:

Acting Steering Committee, Palestinian BDS Campaign:

Ittijah – Union of Arab Community Based Associations
Opgai – Occupied Palestine and Golan Heights Advocacy Initiative
Pacbi – Palestinian Academic and Cultural Boycott Initiative
Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign
PNGO – Palestinian NGO Network
National Committee to Commemorate the Nakba

 

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Summary of information on Susan Sarandon And Lev Leviev

 

Letters to Susan Sarandon:

Letter to Susan Sarandon from Israel's Coalition of Women for Peace

Letter to Susan Sarandon from Representatives of Palestinian Civil Society

Letter to Susan Sarandon from Two Palestinian Villages (Bil'in & Jayous)

Letter to Susan Sarandon from Jewish Voice for Peace

Letter to Susan Sarandon from Adalah-NY: The Coalition for Justice in the Middle East

Press Coverage:

 

Susan Sarandon Enrages Jewish Activists, Anne Lu, All Headline News, December 25, 2007

Jeweler Foes Blast Sarandon, Richard Johnson, New York Post, December 24, 2007

Activist Group Urges Susan Sarandon to Boycott Leviev, IDEX Online, Israel, Dec. 12, 2007

Sarandon Crosses Picket Line for Diamonds, The Daily Dish, SF Gate, The San Francisco Chronicle, November 19, 2007

Her Best Friends, Paula Froelich, New York Post, November 17, 2007

Billionaire Takes New York, Marissa Brostoff, The Forward, November 14, 2007

 

Adalah-NY Press Releases:

Israeli women, Palestinians, and US Jews ask Susan Sarandon to boycott Israeli billionaire Leviev, January 2, 2008

Susan Sarandon exploring request that she cut ties with Leviev over Israeli settlement construction, December 10, 2007

 

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11/20/2007 Letter to Susan Sarandon

Adalah-NY: The Coalition for Justice in the Middle East
www.adalahny.org

November 20, 2007

Dear Ms. Sarandon,

You are known and appreciated for raising your voice and speaking out, time and time again, against human rights abuses, the war in Iraq, the death penalty, the prison system and numerous other issues. We respect you as an outspoken voice of conscience in a world where most remain silent. It is for this reason that we are writing to you today.

On Tuesday, November 13th, we all attended Lev Leviev's grand opening of LEVIEV New York. We were there to spread the word about Lev Leviev’s deep involvement in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, exploitation of conflicted regions/countries for cheap diamonds, and other unscrupulous business practices that displace people, destroy communities and further the interests of big business at the expense of marginalized communities. As we write this letter, we are confident that you were unaware of Lev Leviev’s connection to such injustices and that once aware, you will again take a stand for justice and against violence.

Mr. Leviev, one of Israel’s wealthiest businessmen, together with partner Shaya Boymelgreen, is building the Mattityahu East settlement on the lands of the Palestinian village of Bil’in (1). Mr. Leviev is also building the Zufim (2) settlement on the lands of the Palestinian village of Jayyous (3), and the strategic West Bank settlements of Har Homa and Maale Adumim around Jerusalem (4), which divide the northern West Bank from the southern West Bank, destroying any hopes for a future viable Palestinian state. All of these Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal under international law, as recognized by the International Court of Justice in 2004 and all major human rights organizations. In Bil’in and Jayyous, Leviev is building settlements on village land despite intensive nonviolent protest campaigns mounted by the two Palestinian villages working with Israeli and international activists against the construction (5). Not only is Mr. Leviev responsible for the construction of these settlements, but his donations to the Land Redemption Fund (6) finance an organization which employs deceit and strong-arm tactics to secure private Palestinian land for these types of illegal settlements.

Mr. Leviev’s use of his wealth and influence to help push forward this policy of illegal settlement construction, a major obstacle to peace in the Middle East, is disturbing. Additionally, his involvement in the diamond trade has brought controversy, most notably due to his past involvement in the diamond trade in Apartheid South Africa, and his company’s current close ties with the repressive Angolan regime (7).

Mr. Leviev doesn’t limit his destructive "construction" to international cities, however. Because of the development projects of his company Leviev Boymelgreen (8) his former US partner, Shaya Boymelgreen, has developed such ill repute among New Yorkers that local housing and labor organizations started a campaign (9) against his abusive land development and unfair employment practices. Meanwhile, Mr. Leviev has continued to use his questionably obtained wealth to buy up real estate on his own here in New York. As a result, Mr. Leviev is the target of human rights protests both here in New York and in the West Bank. He has also been the target of protest against the privatization of prisons, including the one he is building in Israel (10).

As a result of all these actions, a number of local human and political rights organizations have launched a campaign to boycott Leviev products. Given your activism, political awareness and moral consciousness, we hope that you will refrain from making any purchases from Leviev-owned businesses, including LEVIEV New York. Further, we would like to invite you to join our campaign and add your prominent voice to the call for a boycott of Leviev’s products.

More information on Lev Leviev, Shaya Boymelgreen, Adalah-NY and this campaign is available at our website, www.adalahny.org.

Thank you, Ms. Sarandon, for taking the time to hear our concerns. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,
Adalah-NY: The Coalition for Justice in the Middle East

Endorsing Organizations:

The Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements for the village of Bil'in, www.bilin-village.org

The Land Defense Committee for the village of Jayyous

The Jenin Freedom Theater, www.thefreedomtheatre.org

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee – New York Chapter, www.adcnewyork.org

Network of Arab-American Professionals of New York, www.naaponline.org/ny

Rachel's Words, www.rachelswords.org

Jews Against the Occupation – NYC

Endorsing Individuals:

Kathleen Chalfant, Actress

Juliano Merr-Khamis, Palestinian/Israeli Actor

Mariam Said

Abdeen Jabara, Esq.

* All endorsing individuals support this campaign, but not all attended the demonstration.

 

  1. http://www.bilin-village.org/
  2. http://www.ww3report.com/105/palestine/jayyous
  3. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20040308/bloom
  4. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2F
    ShowFull&cid=1186557403465
  5. http://www.btselem.org/Download/200512_Under_the_Guise_of_Security_Eng.pdf
  6. http://newleftreview.org/?view=2624
  7. http://www.peacenow.org/hot.asp?cid=247
  8. http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/31549/
  9. http://www.LevievBoymelgreen.com
  10. http://www.shayaiscoming.org
  11. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/879254.html

 

 

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