Galway IPSC : Israeli Blood Diamonds fund war crimes - No Tanks

"The South African apartheid regime never engaged in the sort of repression Israeli is inflicting on the Palestinians"

Yesterday, the Galway branch of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign did a six hour petition/info table, as part of the ongoing campaign against Israeli Blood Diamonds and DIY stores Atlantic Homecare and Woodie's, outside Lynch's castle in Shop Street,

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. Consequently, Irish consumers are unwittingly supporting the Israeli economy and Israel's illegal occupation and vicious repression of the Palestinian : In an interview with Al Ahram Weekly (March 28-April 3, 2002) Ronnie Kasrils, South Africa's minister of water affairs maintained that "The South African apartheid regime never engaged in the sort of repression Israel is inflicting on the Palestinians. For all the evils and atrocities of apartheid, the government never sent tanks into black towns. It never used gunships, bombers, or missiles against black towns or Bantustans. The apartheid regime used to impose sieges on black towns, but these were lifted within days". Tanya Reinhart augmented this further; "Nor, we may add, had South Africa applied a systematic policy of bring the black population to starvation. What we are witnessing in the occupied territories - Israel's penal colonies- is the invisible and daily killing of the sick and wounded who are deprived of medical care, of the sick who cannot survive in the new poverty conditions, and of those who are approaching starvation.

When it comes to Palestine there is no justice from the present crew in government and the EU, only anesthetized conscience and hypocrisy; with the complicity of the Irish Government, the EU will not enforce part 2 of the Euromed Agreement which stipulates that Israel must respect human rights and democracy otherwise, the kybosh will be put on its special EU trading priviledges. If Ireland and the EU were doing their professeed duty the need for IPSC to campaign against Israeli Blood Diamonds, DIY outfits like Atlantic Homecare and Woodies, companies such as Tesco, Dunnes Stores, Marks and Spencer (all of whom reprehensively stock and sell Israeli manufactured goods and agricultural produce) would be obviated.

The Grafton Group plc which owns Woodie's and Atlantic Homecare continues to profit from their sales of Keter plastic products manufactured in Apartheid Israel. Sales of Keter garden sheds, bins, wheelbarrows and storage crates support the Israeli economy and help fund Israel's genocide against the Palestinian people and illegal occupation, theft and destruction of Palestinian land and property.

If you care to join us, starting at 12 noon tomorrow, Galway IPSC will be doing another six hours outside Lynch's castle ?.