Israeli jeweller lacks trade license for Burj store

NO LICENCE: Leviev said it plans to open a store at Dubai Mall and another at the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm. (Getty Images)

Israeli jewellery firm Leviev lacks a trade license to open boutique stores at the Burj Dubai and on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai despite announcing plans to do so, a senior official at Dubai's Department of Economic Department has said.

Leviev, owned by the Israeli-Uzbek billionaire Lev Leviev, recently said it would be opening a flagship store at the Dubai Mall, part of the complex housing the world's tallest building, and a mini-boutique at the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm in the fourth quarter of this year.

"We are aware of these reports and have not granted a trade license to any business of this name," Ali Ebrahim, deputy director general for executive affairs in Dubai, told UAE daily Gulf News.

"If such an application does come to us we will deal with it accordingly."

Israeli businesses and individuals are banned from operating in the UAE as per the Arab League's primary boycott of Israel.

Ebrahim also said precautionary measures have been taken to ensure that neither Israeli citizens themselves are allowed to operate in Dubai, nor be able to operate through non-Israeli partners.

"There are no loopholes," said Ebrahim. "We check backgrounds of businesses that apply."

The diamond firm controls some of the largest private mines in the world and is also the largest privately-held polisher and cutter of diamonds.

Leviev already has a concession in Levant Jewellers, wholly owned by Bin Khadra, in the lobby of the Al-Qasr Hotel in the Madinat Jumeirah area in Dubai, which opened on March 18 this year.

Its retail plans in Dubai has led many Jewish and Palestinian advocacy groups to actively campaign against the diamond jewellers.

The campaign accuses owner Lev Leviev of building Jewish colonies on occupied Palestinian land through his chairmanship of holding company Africa Israel investments.

A subsidiary, Danya Cebus, is claimed to be involved in the construction of the colony of Har Homa between occupied Jerusalem and Bethlehem, Zufim, built on the village of Jayyous, and Ariel, built in 1978 on a number of former Palestinian villages.

Danya Cebus is also claimed to be involved in Ma'ale Adumin, which surrounds occupied East Jerusalem and is the largest and most controversial of Israel's 126 colonies in the West Bank.

Jewish-Palestinian advocacy group The Coalition for Justice in the Middle East (Adalah) and New York-based Jews Against the Occupation are amongst those campaigning for a boycott against Leviev's companies due to their construction of Israeli colonies.

Leviev, who currently lives in London, recently told an Israeli newspaper that the status of occupied Jerusalem, where his companies are claimed to be building colonies, is not for up for negotiation.

"For me, Israel, Jerusalem and Haifa are all the same," he told the paper. "To decide the future of Jerusalem? It belongs to the Jewish people. What is there to decide? Jerusalem is not a topic for discussion."

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USER COMMENTS (4 COMMENTS)

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Why just the Jeweller?
Posted by Abdul M. Ismail, Liverpool, United Kingdom on Saturday 3 May 2008 at 14:17 UAE time


I can't for the life of my understand what difference it will make by this decision. There are numerous (Western) companies that have a lot of investment in the State of Israel and some of which actively benefit from occupied land. So, every penny we spend on products and services from companies such as Coca Cola, McDonalds, Marks and Spencer, Nestle, L'Oreal, Motorolla, Disney, Nokia, Starbucks, Seimens, Timberland (the list goes on...) will somehow benefit the Israelis.

Therefore banning this one Israeli company from trading in Dubai is nothing but a token gesture. If the Arab and Muslim world (and anyone else with a concience) wish to show solidarity with the Palestinians, then we should stop procuring, financing and investing in anything that will lead to the Jewish state's benefit.

Mr. David Stephens - Don't compare apples with potatoes
Posted by Mohammed Raza, Dubai, UAE on Thursday 1 May 2008 at 08:11 UAE time


Which kindergarten do you study Mr. Stephens. There is no logic in your statement. You can't compare Dubai (or UAE) with Israel. Dubai has not occupied any sovereign land, Dubai has never used any military power against helpless people, Dubai has not killed countless unarmed people, Dubai is not investing the money in Europe to use the profits to build settlements in any occupied land... the list is endless.

Israeli expansion into UAE
Posted by Colindale, London, UK on Wednesday 30 April 2008 at 19:47 UAE time


There is nothing ironic about this story whatsoever. No facility should be extended to Israel to allow expansion of its trade into the UAE until such time as it respects UN Resolutions and gets out of the West Bank and co-operates in the establishment of an autonomous Palestinian state.

Blocking foreign investment
Posted by David Stephens on Wednesday 30 April 2008 at 14:37 UAE time


It's a bit ironic that this story comes out on the same day that the head of Dubai World complains that his opportunities to invest in Europe are being restricted.

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