The killing of a protester last week at Bil'in in the West Bank has apparently had this effect: Israel has come up with a new route for its wall through the village in an effort to comply with several High Court of Justice rulings that the wall's path across Palestinian land is illegal. Israel is now planning to give back 700 dunums of land (about 180 acres). But keep 1000 dunums of Palestinian land east of the Green Line–so that a settlement called Matityahu East can be expanded. JPost:
[Attorney for the Palestinian plaintiff Michael] Sfard said that although the Bil'in villagers
were still angry over the loss of 1,000 or more dunams that remain on
the "Israeli side" of the barrier, it looks like the court will approve the state's new proposal.
That settlement is being built by Lev Leviev, the developer/diamond dealer who has a store on Madison Avenue in New York and has come under boycott pressure around the world. The new Israeli plans certainly won't meet with international approval. The Guardian has a piece by Abe Hayeem calling on European governments to have no business dealings with Lev Leviev:
"Furthermore, the governments of Norway and Dubai should emulate the example set by the UK and sever their relationships with Leviev's companies."
ElectronicIntifada is reporting that three Norwegian banks and the government's pension fund are invested in Leviev's company.
