Galway, Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign & Israeli Blood Diamonds

Diamonds crafted in Israel are exempt from the UN’s Kimberly Process

Today, Galway IPSC, enthusiastically aided and abetted by SWP, Amnesty International and SP activists turned out in strenght to man an information stall outside Lynch's castle, Shop St. in order to collect petition signatures and dispense flyers concerning Israel's Blood Diamond industry.

Text of flyer
In 2005 Israel gemstone exports were valued at $16 billion

The Israeli Ministry of Defence budget in 2007 is $12 billion

In 2007 the value of gemstone exports from Israel is estimated to reach $18–20 billion

The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC), in co-operation with solidarity groups worldwide has initiated a campaign to raise awareness about the extent of Israeli involvement in the diamond business.

The IPSC believe that as a result of Israel's domination of the diamond business, diamonds crafted in Israel are on sale in all Irish jewellery shops and Irish consumers are unwittingly supporting the Israeli economy and Israel's illegal occupation and subjugation of the Palestinian people.

The release of the film Blood Diamond in the past month has drawn a lot of attention to the issue of conflict or blood diamonds. Jewellers’ representatives have bombarded the media in an effort to assure the public that the enforcement of the UN based Kimberly Process controls have eliminated the trade in blood diamonds. What they fail to mention however is the fact that the Kimberly process only applies to unpolished or “rough” diamonds and completely ignores the trade in the much more lucrative polished diamonds from conflict zones. This has proven very convenient for Israel in particular and for jewellers as they now use their compliance with the Kimberly process as a smoke screen to sell diamonds crafted in Israel, the world's longest running and apparently most intractable conflict zone, to unsuspecting consumers.

The IPSC calls on the Irish public to reject diamonds crafted in Israel and to insist on the right to know where each diamond was crafted and the right to choose Israel-free diamonds, such as laser inscribed diamonds from countries that respect human rights.

Israeli diamonds fund war crimes - No Tanks

Text of petition

Petition to the Retail Jewellers of Ireland

We the undersigned call on the Retail Jewellers of Ireland to support the call for :
a. the definition of “conflict diamonds” to be amended so it no longer excludes polished diamonds from conflict zones,
b. the introduction of an international marking system to identify where each diamond was crafted,
c. the provision of certifiably Israel-free diamonds

If you care to join us, Galway IPSC will be at it again outside Lynch's castle, next Saturday from 12 noon.