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Kimberley Process chair asked to suspend diamond exports from Israel
11 Nov 2018 at 12:09hrs | Views
During a round-table meeting in the EU Parliament in Brussels the EU chair of the Kimberley Process, Hilda Hardeman and chair of the KP Civil Society Coalition (CSC), Shamiso Mtisi, were urged to suspend diamond exports from Israel during next week's KP plenary meeting in Brussels.
Sean Clinton, a campaigner of Palestinian human rights, told the gathering that diamonds processed in Israel generate about $1 billion/yr in funding for the Israeli military which has killed over 200 Palestinians and maimed and injured thousands more in the past six months alone. He asked the KP chair and chair of the CSC to head the call from human rights campaigners from Europe and Australia to suspend diamond exports from Israel until those responsible for the massacres in Gaza are brought to Justice.
In response, Mr. Mtisi said it was an issue they will definitely present and will look at how best to bring up that issue during the KP plenary.
According to data published by the International Trade Centre, Israel's No.1 export, diamond have fallen by 60% since the 2014 war in Gaza that killed over 2200 people, mainly civilians including over 550 children. In 2017, Tiffany and Co divested from a Beny Steinmetz Group company in Sierra Leone following a campaign by supporters of Palestinian human rights who exposed Steinmetz links to suspected Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
Sean Clinton, a campaigner of Palestinian human rights, told the gathering that diamonds processed in Israel generate about $1 billion/yr in funding for the Israeli military which has killed over 200 Palestinians and maimed and injured thousands more in the past six months alone. He asked the KP chair and chair of the CSC to head the call from human rights campaigners from Europe and Australia to suspend diamond exports from Israel until those responsible for the massacres in Gaza are brought to Justice.
In response, Mr. Mtisi said it was an issue they will definitely present and will look at how best to bring up that issue during the KP plenary.
According to data published by the International Trade Centre, Israel's No.1 export, diamond have fallen by 60% since the 2014 war in Gaza that killed over 2200 people, mainly civilians including over 550 children. In 2017, Tiffany and Co divested from a Beny Steinmetz Group company in Sierra Leone following a campaign by supporters of Palestinian human rights who exposed Steinmetz links to suspected Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
Source - Sean Clinton
