For Immediate Release

January 6, 2012, New York, NY – In a letter today, the Land Defense Committee from the West Bank village of Jayyous implored fashion icon Daphne Guinness, New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) not to “help Lev Leviev to whitewash his illegal settlements on Jayyous’ farmland.” An exhibit of Daphne Guinness’ clothes at the FIT Museum, funded by diamond and settlement mogul Lev Leviev, is closing on January 7th, as scheduled after almost four months. Leviev has also recently donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

In November 21 and December 8 letters, a coalition of US and UK human rights groups, including Adalah-NY, CODEPINK: Women for Peace and Jewish Voice for Peace, called on Daphne Guinness, FIT and BCRF to distance themselves from Leviev. The groups cited Leviev’s companies’ development of Israeli settlements in violation of international law, and involvement in human rights abuses and unethical business practices in the diamond industry in Angola and Namibia.