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June 23, 2008

Unicef Shuns Gifts From Israeli Billionaire

The United Nations Children’s Fund has decided not to accept donations from an Israeli billionaire on grounds that his company may be building settlements in occupied territory, reports Reuters.

Lev Leviev, a real-estate and diamond tycoon, is chairman of Africa Israel Investments, a conglomerate that owns Danya Cebus, a company that has been accused of building within the occupied West Bank. Mr. Leviev has contributed directly to Unicef and sponsored at least one fund-raising event for the organization.

The Arab-rights advocacy group Adalah-NY came to Unicef with its concerns that Mr. Leviev’s network of companies was engaged in settlement construction, an act considered illegal by the United Nations.

Upon reviewing the group’s charges, Unicef decided to cease its relationship with Mr. Leviev.

Chris de Bono, a senior adviser to the executive director of Unicef, said, “I can confirm that Unicef has advised Adalah in New York that it will not be entering into any partnerships or accepting financial contributions from Lev Leviev or his corporate people.”

Mr. Leviev was not available to comment to the news service on the Unicef decision, Reuters said.

Monday June 23, 2008 | Permalink

Comments

1. If you investigate further you will find that Israeli children have never been the beneficiary of UNICEF.
   Israel is the only country in the middle east which UNICEF refuses to fund for generations.
   This is just another poor excuse and they should be ashamed of themselves!

   — Linda    Jun 23, 03:40 PM    #

2. Linda, UNICEF has nothing to be ashamed of! It is intended to fund developing countries, not countries that have a high standard of living already, as Israel does. Israel is the largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid, there is no need to send UNICEF funds there as well. I applaud their moral stand of refusing donations from law-breakers, and would like to see all nonprofits adopt such a stance.

   — B. Torregrossa    Jun 23, 04:19 PM    #

3. This is not the first time that the Chronicle of Philanthropy has reported on international organizations refusing funds from Lev Leviev over his companies’ construction of Israeli settlements in violation of international law:

   http://philanthropy.com/giveandtake/index.php?id=448

   In the earlier case, media and one of Leviev’s websites had reported that Leviev donated to Oxfam. Oxfam International then responded that it was untrue, Leviev hadn’t donated to them, and that they would not knowingly take funds from someone who is violating international law.

   How did that happen? Sure looks like non-profits should be wary of Mr. Leviev.

   — Variation on Leviev/Oxfam story    Jun 23, 05:56 PM    #

4. A country must request assistance from UNICEF. Israel has never requested such assistance.

   — Peter    Jun 23, 06:49 PM    #

5. I wonder if UNICEF receives funding from Islamic foundations that fund terrorist bombers from those same “occupied territories”?

   — Mel    Jun 24, 07:43 AM    #

6. FYI: most housing construction in the West Bank is done by Palestinian workers. Therefore, the so-called “violater of international law” is in fact a provider of genuine employment to many Arab breadwinners.

   — Sam    Jun 24, 08:14 AM    #

7. A very sticky web indeed. And yet, no one really believes that folks who ran Nazi factories and camps were really doing their workers any favors. Simply “providing jobs” does not make one exempt from the moral and legal expectations on the content and impact of the work itself.

   — Chris    Jun 24, 09:52 AM    #

8. Leviev said he has no problem building in the occupied territories (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/961664.html) i.e. he has no problem profiteering from, and sustaining occupation. Indeed, his business fits finely with his fundamentalist ideology of Greater Israel.

   — Jordan    Jun 24, 04:44 PM    #

9. Seems like Leviev is active in Africa too! Check out what he’s doing in Namibia and Angola (http://www.business-humanrights.org/Categories/Individualcompanies/E/EndiamaEmpresaNacionaldeDiamantesdeAngola) UNICEF should not have accepted donations from him in the first place. His donations to UNICEF are marred by child rights abuses.

   — Jordan    Jun 24, 05:22 PM    #

10. Reuters and the New York Times have all the resources they need to get Leviev’s number! It isn’t just that he is suspected of, or is alleged to be, building illegal settlements in the Palestinian territories; he is proven and observed to be doing so! He’s building hundreds of these homes. P. S.—They’re for Jews only. They’re not for the oppressed Palestinian workers who build them; so much for providing jobs, etc. The whole enterprise is utterly fascist, catering to one group only.

    — Carol F. Yost    Jun 24, 11:07 PM    #

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