The Role Of Chelsea Owner Roman Abramovich In Israel's Aggression In Palestine

JAKARTA - Chelsea won the Champions League 20/21. The role of club owner, Roman Abramovich is clearly crucial in this achievement. There is one story that sticks out in the midst of this success. Abramovich's name was re-elected in his role in funding the Israeli aggression against Palestine.

East Jerusalem, we know is one of the hottest areas in the Israeli occupation mission in Palestine. Silwan area, for example.

There was an organization called Elad that took part in the expulsion of Palestinian families. According to a BBC News Arabic investigation published last September 2020, Abramovich's money went to Elad.

The conclusion was reached after BBC News Arabic searched and checked the documents previously leaked by BuzzFeed News. BuzzFeed News then shared the documents they found with a consortium of international investigative journalists, including the BBC.

In that investigation BBC News Arabic proved Elad's role in passing on Abramovich's money to fund the expulsion of Palestinian families. At least four of the Abramovich companies that finance Elad, all of which are domiciled in the British Virgin Islands and registered on the same day.

Abramovich's total funding for Elad reportedly reached 100 million US dollars, or around Rp. 1.4 trillion. The money was disbursed in the period 2005 to 2018.

A number of documents prove Abramovich as Elad's biggest donor over the last 15 years. Abramovich's spokesman told the BBC that Abramovich had supported Jewish and Israeli civil society for 20 years.

"Over the past 20 years it has donated more than $500 million to support healthcare, science, education and support the Jewish community both in Israel and around the world."

Abramovich himself has obtained Israeli citizenship since 2018. Abramovich has consistently been a donor in research activities, settlement construction, to investment by local companies in Israel.

One of the cases of expulsion of Palestinian families in question happened to Sumarin's family. This family has proof of residence rights in Silwan because they have been there since 1959.

However, a warrant for the Sumarin family to leave Silwan was issued. With the support of the Palestinian Authority, along with a number of non-governmental organizations, the Sumarin family has been fighting to cancel the warrant since 1991.

But a court in Jerusalem declared Sumarin's family lost. They then filed an appeal.

During the legal process, the BBC obtained evidence of how Elad funded the expulsion of the Sumarin family and several other families in Silwan. The BBC had confirmed to Elad whether they would continue to fund cases of dispute over settlements against Palestinian families? Elad didn't answer.

In Silwan, there are at least 450 Jewish settlers among 20,000 Palestinians. But the number of Jewish settlers continued to grow.

Elad is an organization whose role is to build a Jewish settlement in Silwan. From Elad's perspective, four of Abramovich's companies in the British Virgin Islands are the largest donors, accounting for 90 percent of all Elad's funding.

Elad has direct support from the Israeli government because of the company's aligned vision, which is to strengthen the presence of Jewish citizens. One of Elad's most highlighted roles was how they expelled Palestinian families in Silwan.

Shahar Shilo, Elad's former marketing director, said building a Jewish settlement in Silwan was their main mission. Regarding funding, Shahar stated that their funding system, including transparency as a non-profit organization, has complied with the provisions of Israeli legislation.

Meanwhile, Vice President Elad Doron Spielman stated, "We really respect the privacy of our donors. (But if anyone wants to know) the names of the donors that we put up in the City of David area."

The City of David is an archaeological area in Silwan. Elad is promoting the area as a tourist destination.

Bloomberg Billionaires Index data quoted on Sunday, May 30, Roman Abramovich ranks 105th in the list of the world's richest people. Abramovich is estimated to have a total assets of 18.9 billion US dollars, equivalent to Rp. 270.3 trillion in an exchange rate of Rp. 14,306.

This value is known to have increased by 445 million US dollars in just five months since the December 2020 book closing. "Abramovich is the largest shareholder of Evraz, Russia's second largest steel maker," wrote Bloomberg.

“He has stakes in Norilsk Nickel, the world’s largest producer of refined nickel, and Chelsea Football Club in London. He built his fortune from dividends and the sale of privatized assets acquired from the former Soviet Union, including Sibneft and Aeroflot.”

Thanks to Chelsea's victory in the Champions League, Abramovich has just added to his fortune by 23 million US dollars, or around Rp. 329 billion.

*Read other information about ISRAEL-PALESTINE or read other interesting articles from Andry Winanto and Yudhistira Mahabharata.