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Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev (Limor Edery)
Last update - 11:24 21/06/2008
UNICEF severs ties with Israeli mogul over settlement building
By Reuters
Tags: UNICEF, settlements 

The UN children's fund UNICEF has severed ties with an Israeli billionaire and financial backer due to his suspected involvement in building settlements in the West Bank, UNICEF said on Friday.

Lev Leviev, a real estate and diamond mogul who is one of the richest men in Israel, has supported UNICEF with direct contributions and indirectly by sponsoring at least one UNICEF fund-raiser.

He is chairman of Africa Israel Investments, a conglomerate whose units include Danya Cebus, which the Arab rights advocacy group Adalah-NY charges has carried out settlement construction, considered illegal by the United Nations.
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UNICEF decided to review its relationship with Leviev after a campaign by Adalah-NY and found "at least a reasonable grounds for suspecting" that Leviev companies were building settlements in Palestinian territory, a UNICEF official 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," Chris de Bono, a senior adviser to the executive director of UNICEF, told Reuters.

"We are aware of the controversy surrounding Mr. Leviev because of his reported involvement in construction work in the occupied Palestinian territory," de Bono said, adding that it was UNICEF's policy to have partners who were "as non-controversial as possible."

UNICEF could not say how much Leviev had donated as an individual. In his only known partnership with UNICEF, Leviev last year donated jewelry to a fashion event in France that benefited the French national committee for UNICEF, de Bono said.

Representatives of Leviev's jewelry and real estate businesses were not immediately available to comment on Friday, in part because of religious observances after dark in Israel.

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      1.   unicef 01:23  |  jeff 21/06/08
      2.   Bravo UNICEF 01:53  |  Jon Jaye 21/06/08
      3.   Good news from UNICEF! Filthy lucre-"Blood Diamonds." 02:07  |  Maureen Ann 21/06/08
      4.   Wahhabhist UNICEF 02:15  |  Brod 21/06/08
      5.   Another brilliant UN move 02:23  |  IW 21/06/08
      6.   UNICEF wisdom 02:42  |  Peter 21/06/08
      7.   UNICEF 03:01  |  HM 21/06/08
      8.   How much money does Saudi Arabia Contribute 03:03  |  Joseph 21/06/08
      9.   UNICEF-case of shooting yourself in the foot. 03:04  |  common sense 21/06/08
      10.   unicef 03:18  |  david 0 21/06/08
      11.   I will never donate to UNICEF again 03:18  |  AJ 21/06/08
      12.   Leviev 03:37  |  George Kaplan 21/06/08
      13.   AJ on UNICEF 04:11  |  BBSNews 21/06/08
      14.   Unicef is owned 04:20  |  Sabra 21/06/08
      15.   Adalah is as objective human rights org. as al jazeera is an obje 04:21  |  POP 21/06/08
      16.   Its your loss, UNICEF, what hypocrits! 04:21  |  Free Gilad Shalit 21/06/08
      17.   Mr. Leviev, Hero! . BBSNews @# 12 05:20  |  Akiva P 21/06/08
      18.   BBSNews @#12, you must be a red-neck and proud of it! 05:25  |  Akiva P 21/06/08
      19.   UNICEF cannot sever ties with Arab donors because there are none 05:29  |  Genuine Tosefta 21/06/08
      20.   UNICEF latest deed is what is wrong with the UN..denial of Jewish 05:35  |  r 21/06/08
      21.   I have canceled my monthly contribution 05:50  |  Gerda Haertl 21/06/08
      22.   More proof the UN 05:58  |  Nechama 21/06/08
      23.   Good Job Adalah! 06:04  |  Boycott Israel 21/06/08
      24.   UN/UNICEF is anti-Israel 06:35  |  US CITIZEN 21/06/08
      25.   The Talkbackers are funny 07:00  |  Raden 21/06/08
      26.   Now we know what UNICEF stands for... 07:21  |  David ben Avraham 21/06/08
      27.   UNICEF is now my favorite charity 07:52  |  Historian 21/06/08
      28.   24Jewish National Fund has been stealing Palestinian land for yrs 08:10  |  Dutch 21/06/08
      29.   Levieve is criminal, supporting Jewish terrorism 08:19  |  KMS 21/06/08
      30.   All UNICEF funds fall into the hands of terrorists anyway 08:22  |  Historionot 21/06/08
      31.   This is just a drop in the bucket of things to come 08:32  |  Dutch 21/06/08
      32.   # 13 BBCNews, on point 08:40  |  Dutch 21/06/08
      33.   Unicef severs ties with Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev 08:49  |  martin list, m.d. 21/06/08
      34.   Occupied Palestinian Territory BS 08:59  |  Shaka 21/06/08
      35.   #8 Jospeh - no excuse for ignorance 09:05  |  Joe 21/06/08
      36.   Unicef will never gat another dime from me 09:16  |  Dish It Out 21/06/08
      37.   Every hill in Samaria and every valley in Judea is part of... 09:39  |  Jean Van Daem 21/06/08
      38.   unicef 10:00  |  BR 21/06/08
      39.   UNICEF 10:01  |  Connie 21/06/08
      40.   So UNICEF punishes poor children 10:10  |  KUTW 21/06/08
      41.   how do they explain this to needy children? 10:12  |  scallywag 21/06/08
      42.   I am glad to know 10:12  |  KUTW 21/06/08
      43.   Now Mr. Leviev can give that money 10:14  |  KUTW 21/06/08
      44.   UN rules 10:17  |  KUTW 21/06/08
      45.   Which "occupies territories"? 10:23  |  KUTW 21/06/08
      46.   to #23, the one who is eager to boycott israel, no matter what 10:25  |  scallywag 21/06/08
      47.   29. KMS: you would like support for pal peace organizations 10:25  |  KUTW 21/06/08
      48.   to #27, historian 10:37  |  scallywag 21/06/08
      49.   HA-HA this is the best joke ever heard 10:46  |  alex 21/06/08
      50.   At last - UNICEF stands on principle 11:37  |  Sylvie 21/06/08
      51.   Leviev`s settlements harm Palestinian children 11:41  |  Ted 21/06/08
      52.   Based on this decision, I stop contributing to UNICEF!!! 11:52  |  Abraham Gold 21/06/08
      53.   Will they his money back? 11:56  |  Hannah 21/06/08
      54.   Leviev`s Zufim expanding in Jayyous 12:39  |  Ted 21/06/08
      55.   BRAVO UNICEF 14:20  |  Arie 21/06/08
      56.   Palestinians supplied cement for the wall 15:17  |  x-ray 21/06/08
      57.   Arie - some references please 16:02  |  Mike Friedman 21/06/08
      58.   Bravo UNICEF! 16:39  |  Ben Alofs 21/06/08
      59.   Good move, let the Arabs fund UNICEF, the Mogul will give the $$ 16:46  |  Pervert 21/06/08
      60.   Good move, let the Arabs fund UNICEF, the Mogul will give the $$ 16:46  |  Pervert 21/06/08
      61.   #35, you forgot to mention SA contribution to world peace, 16:50  |  Pervert 21/06/08
      62.   #35, you forgot to mention SA contribution to world peace, 16:50  |  Pervert 21/06/08
      63.   Leviev 16:55  |  JL 21/06/08
      64.   BS and KMS: Questions of Terror 17:48  |  Tex 21/06/08
      65.   Hopefully the boycott will snowball 18:08  |  Chanalau, Tova 21/06/08
      66.   Leviev charity is a big hypocrisy 18:08  |  Bassem 21/06/08
      67.   "BLOOD DIAMONDS" DIDN`T 18:23  |  Robert 21/06/08
      68.   Fight back 18:43  |  Mike 21/06/08
      69.   Raden 25 18:44  |  ChanahS 21/06/08
      70.   STEALING JEWISH LAND IS CRIME! THERE IS NO PALESTINE! 18:58  |  Roni Shatz 21/06/08
      71.   Dutch 31