Report by Bruce
Saturday, 20 August 2011
BDS Activists – as well as Marilyn Monroe – joined Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign colleagues in Hatton Garden, London’s jewellery quarter and centre of the UK diamond trade, to educate jewellery retailers, customers and the general public about Israeli blood diamonds.
In 2008, Israeli diamond exports accounted for approx UK £12 billion. Israel is a leading diamond exporter and diamonds account for over 30% of Israel’s exports which indirectly funds Israeli Apartheid, war crimes and crimes against humanity. To put this into perspective, the entire Israeli military budget in 2008 was approx UK £9.5 billion.
Thanks to Seymour for the video
Sean Clinton, a leading authority in the campaign against Israeli blood diamonds, as well as a member of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, flew into London especially for this action. Mr Clinton recently had a letter published exposing Israeli blood diamonds in Retail Jeweller, the industry magazine for jewellers, which caused an uproar amongst Israeli diamond dealers.
As Mr. Clinton said, “When six of the most influential leaders of the Israeli diamond industry, representing nine different international bodies, react to a comment in a magazine you know you’ve touched a very raw nerve”. Sean’s letter can be read here and the responses can be read here.
Human rights activists called on jewellers to be held accountable for facilitating the masquerade whereby Israeli diamonds are sold to unsuspecting consumers under the guise of the misleading and deceptive label of the Kimberley Process.
Using colourful flyers, signs, banners, placards and humour, campaigners successfully engaged with both jewellery retailers and customers about the benefits of knowing where each diamond was crafted and spoke to a wide cross-section of people about why they should choose diamonds that don’t support Israeli war crimes.
The Kimberley Process certification, which the diamond industry and jewellers like to use, makes no mention of the term “conflict-free,” yet many jewellers deliberately use this term to describe all diamonds that fall outside the KP’s narrow definition of a conflict diamond and use the Kimberley Process as a smoke screen to sell diamonds crafted in Israel to unsuspecting consumers. The KP certification only applies to rough diamonds and does not apply to the much more lucrative and polished diamonds which Israel dominates.
In addition to urging consumers to boycott Israeli blood diamonds, human rights campaigners, as well as people of conscience are also calling for the jewellery industry to review the Kimberly Process, so that all diamonds that fund human rights abuses are banned and for diamonds to be laser inscribed to identify where they were produced and crafted.
As with the Boycott Israeli Dates and supermarket campaigns, human rights activists encouraged both ethical consumers and retailers to ensure they know where the product they are purchasing (or selling) originated and where it was processed.
The day proved highly successful in educating more people about blood diamonds and their link to Israeli crimes and violations of international law.
For further information, here are two highly-recommended articles:
Tell the Kimberly Process: Israeli diamonds are blood diamonds by Tania Kepler for the Alternative Information Center (AIC).
The diamond industry’s double-standard on Israel by IPSC member Sean Clinton who heads the Boycott Israeli Blood Diamonds campaign in Ireland that was originally posted on the Electronic Intifada website on 23rd June 2010.
What you can do:
Please add your name to the ‘Stop Israel’s Blood Diamond Trade’ PETITION
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