The article below is abridged from a March 4 statement released by Adalah-NY: The Coalition for Justice in the Middle East. For more information, contactinfo@adalahny.org.
The British government has decided to boycott Israeli diamond and real estate mogul Lev Leviev over his companies' construction of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, the March 4 Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz Daily reported.
The decision followed a coordinated advocacy campaign by human rights advocates in New York, Britain, Palestine and Israel demanding that the British government end plans to rent the new British embassy in Tel Aviv from Leviev's company Africa-Israel.
The article did not note the construction of the settlement of Zufim on the land of the village of Jayyous by Leviev's company Leader. The Israeli army has recently intensified efforts to crush Jayyous' protest campaign against the construction of Leviev's settlements and Israel's wall on village land.
Sharif Omar, the head of Jayyous' Land Defence Committee, commented, "We feel heartened by the UK government decision opposing Leviev's settlement construction ... We need more pressure in order to end Israeli repression, return our land, and restore our rights."
Leviev's companies have built Jewish-only homes on occupied Palestinian land in the Israeli settlements of Zufim, Mattityahu East, Har Homa and Maale Adumim — impoverishing villages like Bil'in and Jayyous and violating international law.