Israeli Blood Diamonds - London Christmas Protest [Inminds 21 Dec 2018]

IN GOD WE TRUST
Published on May 1, 2021
On 21st December 2018 Inminds human rights group held a vigil outside the world's largest diamond company, Be Beers Jewellers, in London, to highlight the link between diamond jewellery and Israeli war crimes in Palestine.

DIAMONDS - ISRAEL'S #1 INDUSTRY

Israel is one of the worldâ€™s leading producers of cut & polished diamonds. It imports rough diamonds, more than doubles their value by cutting & polishing, and exports them globally via hubs in London, Antwerp, Hong Kong, New York & Mumbai.

Last year, in 2017, Israelâ€™s net export of diamonds was worth $8 billion making diamonds Israel's number one industry by far. Diamonds account for nearly a quarter of Israelâ€™s total manufacturing export.

In 2017, over $330 million worth of Israel diamonds flooded the UK market, and this doesn't include Israeli diamonds that came directly from its overseas production plants. Israel has set up a chain of diamond production plants in India and China where labour costs are a fraction of those in Israel.

BANKROLLING WAR CRIMES - $1 BILLION PER YEAR

Most people donâ€™t realise that diamonds sold in jewellers worldwide are bankrolling Israelâ€™s war machine. Israeli economist Shir Hever testified at the Russell Tribunal in November 2010 that â€œOverall the Israeli diamond industry contributes about $1 billion annually to the Israeli military and security industries â€¦ every time somebody buys a diamond that was exported from Israel some of that money ends up in the Israeli militaryâ€.

KIMBERLEY PROCESS

The Kimberley Process was supposed to prevent the trade in diamonds that fund human rights violations. But the Kimberley Process's narrow definition of a â€œconflict diamondâ€ purposely excludes cut and polished diamonds. At the AGM of the World Diamond Council in Moscow in October 2015 there was a proposal to empower the Kimberley Process by widening the definition of conflict diamond â€œto include countries who flout human rights laws not just in mining areas but also in diamond trading centresâ€. The proposal had already been agreed by the institutes of the World Diamond Council, the changes in definition were already confirmed, before the President of the Israel Diamond Exchange, Shmuel Schnitzer, personally intervened to stop it, saying â€œit could be disastrous for Israelâ€. The agreed change was binned to shield Israelâ€™s blood diamond trade.

Jewellers exploit this fudged definition to deceitfully claim diamonds crafted in Israel are conflict free despite the UN Human Rights Council having found Israel guilty of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity. The Kimberley Process needs urgent revision as at the moment itâ€™s simply used to white wash Israeli blood diamonds and present them falsely as "conflict-free" and "ethical".

ISRAEL DIAMOND BOURSE IMPLICATED IN WAR CRIMES

During Israel's attack on Gaza in summer 2014, where in 7 weeks Israel slaughtered 521 Palestinian children whilst they took shelter in UN schools, the Israeli Diamond Bourse held a banquet to honour former Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz on 4th August 2014. At the event the Israel Diamond Exchange President Shmuel Schnitzer boasted of the bourse sending truck loads of military equipment to help the slaughter: "Everyone here feels he wants to do something to help. Therefore, we have all taken steps to contribute our share to the war effort and join the wave of love and hugs for our fighters. The bourse bought ceramic bullet-proof vests for the engineering unit soldiers and organized trucks of equipment that were sent to the fighters. Bourse members raised 250,000 shekels in just two days which paid for 3,000 packages delivered to soldiers on the front."

BOYCOTT BLOOD DIAMONDS

Diamonds crafted in Israel cannot be distinguished from other diamonds. Unless a diamond is laser inscribed to identify where it was crafted or the jeweller can provide documentary evidence of where it was cut and polished, there is a high risk that the diamond you are buying is an Israeli blood diamond. An engagement ring is meant to signify love not death and slaughter. Donâ€™t wear a trophy of Israeli butchery on your finger. The children that diamond has helped kill will forever be on your conscience - please dont buy Israeli blood diamonds this Christmas.

More Info: http://inminds.com/article.php?id=10830

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