Two Palestinian villages ask Susan Sarandon to repudiate Leviev

Lev Leviev is building Israeli settlements on Bil'in and Jayyous' land, and is also building in the settlements of Har Homa and Maale Adumim around Jerusalem, in violation of international law. Leviev is destroying the olive groves and farms that have sustained our villages for centuries, and is profiting from human rights abuses.

We were reassured to learn from our colleagues in New York City that you expressed interest in learning more about these issues. We hope that you will speak in support of peace and justice in Palestine. We invite you and would be very pleased to welcome you to visit Palestine, specifically Jayyous and Bil'in, in order to witness what Leviev's settlements are doing to our communities.

Bil'in

The olive is a symbol of our land and of the Palestinian people. We are connected to our land. We were born in Bil'in like our fathers and grandfathers and their fathers. We belong here. Our mothers took us to harvest olives before we could speak. We remember playing under the olive trees which have since been uprooted by Israeli settlers who have come to live here. There is now a huge and growing settlement called Modi'in Illit where we played as children. It is hard for us to understand that our children cannot play in the same places where we played.

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