August 23, New York, NY – In a major victory for the international
movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel, the
Norwegian government announced today that it has divested from Lev
Leviev’s company Africa Israel Investments and its construction
subsidiary Danya Cebus due to their construction of Israeli settlements
in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The move followed a campaign of
more than a year by affected Palestinian villages of Bil’in and Jayyous
and by Norwegian, Palestinian, Israeli, and international activist
groups, including Adalah-NY, calling on the Norwegian government to
divest from Africa Israel.

The companies of Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev have been the target of
a boycott campaign that led UNICEF and Oxfam to renounce donations from
Leviev, the British government to sever business ties with Leviev,
celebrities to seek distance from him, and divestment by other major
investment firms .

Mohammed Khatib representing the West Bank village of Bil?in?s Popular
Committee Against the Wall and Settlements commented, "We’ve achieved
another major victory in our struggle of protests and boycotts against
Israeli apartheid. On April 21^st, 2009 we wrote the government of Norway
calling for them to divest from Africa Israel because it is one company
that built the settlement of Mattityahu East on Bil’in’s land, and they
responded that they were investigating. It is victories like this that
demonstrate our commitment to continue our struggle for justice, despite
Israel’s efforts to crush it through a campaign of arrests and
intimidation, targeting activists like Abdallah Abu Rahmah from Bil?in
who will be sentenced tomorrow for being an organizer." Palestinian
protest and boycott organizers like Abu Rahmah, Khatib, Mohammad Othman
from Jayyous and Jamal Juma? have all been arrested recently by Israel
for their nonviolent activities, and Israel’s Knesset is reviewing a
bill to criminalize pro-boycott activities by Israeli citizens.

In addition to divesting from Africa Israel Investments and Danya Cebus,
the Norwegian Government announced divestment from the Malaysian Company
Samling Global over its forestry operations. The Norwegian government
had previously divested from the Israeli company Elbit Systems , due to
its role in building Israel?s wall in the Occupied West Bank in
violation of international law. The Norwegian government is maintaining
its holdings in another Africa Israel subsidiary, Africa Israel
Properties, saying it is not directly involved in settlement construction.

Riham Barghouti from Adalah-NY explained, ?I met with a senior advisor
from Norway’s Council on Ethics at their Oslo offices in May, 2010 to
encourage them to divest from Africa Israel. So I’m glad to see that the
Norwegian government has upheld its commitment to international law, and
we encourage them to continue reviewing and divesting from other
companies in their portfolio that are complicit in Israeli apartheid,
including Africa Israel Properties."

Jamal Juma, the Coordinator of the Stop the Wall Campaign and a member
of the Palestinian Boycott National Committee, noted, "We appreciate the
Norwegian Finance Ministry’s commitment to upholding international law
through continuing to divest from companies profiting from Israel’s
oppression of the Palestinian people. It is a significant milestone in
the Palestinian-led BDS movement aimed at holding Israel accountable for
its violations of international and humanitarian law. We hope that the
Norwegian Pension fund will fully divest from Israeli crimes through
severing links with all Israeli companies and international companies
complicit with Israeli violations of international law, and hope that
other governments follow the lead of Norway until Israel ends its
oppression and occupation of the Palestinian people."

On April 21, 2009, Bil?in?s Popular Committee Against the Wall and
Settlements sent a letter to Norway’s Council on Ethics calling for
Norway to divest from Africa Israel. The West Bank village of Jayyous
where a different Leviev company, Leader Management and Development, is
building the Zufim settlement, followed with a May 4^th letter calling on
Norway to divest. On May 11, 2009, eleven organizations from Norway,
Europe, Palestine, Israel and the US sent a letter to Norway?s Council
on Ethics supporting the letters from Bil?in and Jayyous.

Sharif Omar of Jayyous’ Land Defence Committee added, ?We welcome this
decision by the Norwegian government to divest from some of Leviev’s
companies. But another Leviev company, Leader Management and
Development, continues today to build settlements on Jayyous’ land. We
call for additional international action to pressure these companies and
the Israeli government to end construction and return our stolen farmland.