Levdan, Ltd.

Background

Levdan, Ltd. or Lordan-Levdan, as it has been known, is a subsidiary of Kardan Investment, an import-export company that is involved in the diamond trade. [1]. Levdan is run by two Israeli Army Generals who served under Rafael Eytan and Ariel Sharon in the eighties, Moshe Levy and Ze'ev Zachrin. Moshe had in fact succeeded Eytan as chief of staff when his term expired. In March of 1997, Moshe was one of fourteen generals to demand the IDF attorney general to stop the trials against Israeli Defense Force officers for actions in occupied territories.[1]

Levdan was active in the Congo in the mid-nineties under a contract with president, Pascal Lissouba, for three years. During this time they brokered a $10 million arms deal for Israel [2] They received a $50 million contract from Lissouba to arm and train his army against the rebel forces fighting for the former dictator Denis Sassou Nguesso. Some Israeli officials were concerned the rebels were recruiting Israeli soldiers as well, and they could end up fighting each other. [3]

Footnotes

• [1]:The Sword and the Olive: A Critical History of the Israeli Defense Force by Martin Van Creveld; PublicAffairs: New York. 1998 (pg. 349) ISBN 1891620053