Tag: Bil’in

Ma’ariv: Leviev Boasts A Contribution That Never Existed

Business tycoon Lev Leviev’s website boasts a contribution to a human rights organization, but there was no contribution at all.

by Gal Karniel

January 21, 2008

Economics Page

Ma’ariv On-Line (NRG)
http://www.nrg.co.il/online/16/ART1/685/919.html

Lev Leviev, known for his wealth and philanthropy, volunteered misleading information regarding the destination of his charitable donations. 

On December 28th, 2007, Lifestyles Magazine conducted an interview with the philanthropist Leviev. During the interview, several organizations were mentioned as recipients of donations from Leviev, among them Oxfam-US. The donation to Oxfam was also noted in profile pieces and other interviews with Leviev, for example in Women’s Wear Daily on September 5th, 2007. The Lifestyles interview was quoted in full within the magazine of the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS (Common-wealth of Independent States), an organization that supports Jewish communities in Russia, Israel, Germany, and the United States. Leviev is currently serving as the organization’s president. 

Oxfam International is a confederation of 13 organizations working in cooperation with more than 3,000 partners in more than 100 states, attempting to find long-term solutions to poverty and injustice.

Following the supposed connection between Leviev and Oxfam, the organization Adalah-NY addressed Oxfam in a letter dated January 8th, 2008, which requested that Oxfam not accept donations from Leviev due to his involvement in settlement construction in the West Bank territories, in violation of international law. The letter also referenced Leviev’s exploitation of the Angolan population working in the diamond trade, as well as the employment of workers and craftspeople under exploitative conditions in his Manhattan and Brooklyn enterprises, where many do not receive minimum wage and have complained of wage withholding. 

Across from Leviev’s Madison Avenue diamond store, human rights groups hold frequent demonstrations in denunciation of him and his activities.

Following this, Oxfam released a statement on the 13th of January 2008, stating that the organization maintains no connection whatsoever with Leviev. The statement, signed by Alex Renton of Oxfam-Great Britain and Adrienne Smith of Oxfam America, asserts 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.”

The statement goes on to explain that “Oxfam’s policies on donations are clear. We do not accept donations from businesses involved in illegal activities, or operating in occupied territory, including settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.”

The Lev Leviev Group transmitted a letter to human rights groups on the 15th of January 2008, stating: “Having fled the yoke of communism as a teenager living in Uzbekistan, Lev Leviev knows oppression firsthand and has used his self-made success to alleviate suffering around the world. His generosity to numerous groups and organizations is motivated by the wish to do good things for others. Despite the negative characterization of his philanthropy by some political groups, Lev Leviev continues to use his philanthropy solely toward that goal.”

Leviev’s response did not arrive prior to the publication of this article. 

Translation: Adalah-NY

UPDATE: International arrested at Bil’in demonstration still in jail

On Friday 14th March, dozens of residents from the village of Bil’in, joined by Israeli and international activists, protested against the illegal annexation of their land by Israel’s segregation wall. 6 demonstrators were injured, while one international was kidnapped and arrested as Israeli soldiers charged the demonstration. American activist Blake Murphy appeared in court today (15th March) as the judge extended his detention until the 18th March.

The non-violent demonstration moved along the wall before being attacked by the army with steel-coated rubber bullets, tear gas and sound bombs. The Israeli army then attacked the demonstration, tackling Blake Murphy to the ground, sprayed mace into his eyes and violently assaulting him as well as other demonstrators. One other protester was also maced as the soldiers carried out their kidnapping.

As the soldiers were retreating to the wall they then shot an Israeli activist in the leg from close range with a rubber-coated steel bullet causing serious injury. Another two protesters were also shot by rubber bullets, one in the side of the head and the other in the hand.

Blake Murphy appeared in Israeli court on the 15th March, with the judge agreeing to extend his detention for a further three days before a decision on his future will be made.

Farmer arrested in continuing harrasment of villagers of Bil’in

January 20th, 2008

Over 2 years ago the people of Bilin have established an “outpost” on their land, on the west side of the current rout of the wall. The point was to establish their presence on the ground to protect it from theft by the Israeli authorities or their proxies. Recently there has been a new wave of harassments of people staying at the outpost or working the land around it. See: https://israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/8345/index.php

This morning Ayed Burnat was arrested while working the land near the outpost. His arrest follows the detention of several other farmers for the crime of tilling their land. His case he did not even involve such an offense. Instead Burnat was arrested for collecting stones for making a stone wall, in effect stealing stones from his own land.

Like at many other places, land belonging to the village of Bilin was declared state land using an old Ottoman law. The effect of such a designation is that the land is reserved for the use of Jews only and that Palestinians who don’t respect the laws which steal their land are subject to prosecution in military court. One of the men who shows extra dedication to applying Israeli rules is Avishai
Reichman, the security coordinator for the settlement neighborhood of “Matityahu east”. Reichman, who claims to have good relations with many people in Bilin and wants nothing more than good relations with his neighbors, nevertheless goes outside the settlement and after farmers like Burnat (to say nothing of living on their lands in the first place.)

This morning Reichman called the police and had Burnat arrested on suspicion of stealing curb stones from the construction site. If for the sake of argument a defense against the accusation of theft from a settlement construction site is needed, then one can point out that the stones were visibly broken and were collected from the scrap heap. Besides, Burnat offered to return the stones to the place he found them but that did not prevent his arrest. The police who arrested him were from the same police force which two weeks earlier failed to arrest settlers who placed a temporary structure on on Palestinian land and assaulted one of the Palestinians who laid down on the ground to try to prevent the structure from being lowered. See: https://israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/8283/index.php

At the end of a day spent at the police station, Burnat was released on 500 shekels bail and an invitations to appear in military court.

Army shoots man in the face with tear gas cannister at Bil’in



On Friday, January 18th, around a hundred Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists gathered for the weekly demonstration against the Annexation Wall in the village of Bil’in.

The demonstration took place this week after horrifying events in Gaza which have left 36 people dead and scores injured, many seriously. Activists had stickers which read “Gaza 3ala Bali (Gaza On My Mind)” placed on their shirts, arms, and some even on their foreheads.

Activists walked towards the soldiers placed at the gate in the Annexation Wall. Some reached the soldiers and chanted, while others hung back along the road. Soldiers began shooting tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets immediately, hitting on man in the face with a tear gas cannister. As he was taken away bleeding by the medics, soldiers began detaining people.

Two internationals and two Palestinians were violently detained by the soldiers. In the accompanying video, soldiers can be seen assaulting peaceful protesters Two and a half minutes into the video one can see the soldiers capture one Palestinian activist, who tosses away the flag he was holding, one soldier holding him then unzips his pants and does something else unclear.

The demonstration lasted over an hour, activists walked back to the village but twice were followed by soldiers attempting to invade.

Bil’in Residents Attcked Whilst Attending to Their Land

In recent days, the Israeli army have intensified their harassment of the villagers of Bil’in, beating and arresting villagers attending to their land trapped behind the annexation wall.

Problems started on Friday when a villager was handcuffed, blindfolded, and dragged to the gate in the wall by soldiers, who threatened to kill him and told him he couldn’t be on the land. This in violation of Septembers high court decision to grant Bil’in residents access to their land trapped behind the wall.

The scene was repeated on Saturday when the army woke up a Bil’in resident and Israeli activists sleeping at an outpost on the village land trapped behind the wall with soundbombs. They then proceeded to beat, handcuff, threatened, and dump the Palestinian man on the village’s side of the fence.

On Sunday afternoon a settler from the nearby Modiin Illit settlment, a bulldozer, and soldiers arrived at the outpost threatening to destroy the structure. The farmers who were present working on their lands were detained and told them that land further East from the outpost cannot be worked on, again in violation of Septembers court decision. The soldiers confiscated a tractor from one of the farmers as they were leaving and the farmer was forced to go to Beit-El to retrieve it. More Bilin residents and Israeli activists then came down to the site. Later that day soldiers beat all present and took video tapes a Bil’in resident had taken earlier in the day.

On Sunday night more Israeli and international activists arrived and slept at the outpost, but thankfully there was no trouble.

On Monday afternoon a Bilin farmer was detained and forced to watch as soldiers fired live ammunition into his flock of sheep, killing one. On Monday night Palestinian, Israeli and international activists slept at the outpost without harassment.

During the last few days many complaints have been lodged and yesterday the army district commander was replaced as a result. The new commander has promised to look into the complaints about the abuses of the last few days and hopefully the situation will return to a state of relative calm. Palestinian, Israeli and international activists will continue to keep a presence at the outpost in case the abuses continue.