De-Beers asked to remove blood diamond display from Tower of London

international | rights, freedoms and repression | press release

Saturday June 02, 2012 08:29

by Sean Clinton - Global Palestine Solidarity

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee used to promote diamond brand that supports a Unit of the Israeli military’s notorious Givati Brigade.

De-Beers, the diamond behemoth, is exploiting the celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in a vulgar and insensitive manner in order to promote their diamonds.

The company’s decision to display a Forevermark Steinmetz Diamond at the Tower of London ignores the fact that the Steinmetz Diamond Group, through the Steinmetz Foundation, has “adopted” a Unit of the infamous Givati Brigade in the Israel military. The Israeli military stands accused of “serious war crimes and possible crimes against humanity” by the UN Human Rights Council.

The Givati Brigade was responsible for the one of the most appalling examples of gross human rights violations recorded during Israel’s assault on the besieged residents of Gaza in January 2009. The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem describes the incident as follows:

“On 4 January 2009, at the start of the ground phase of operation Cast Lead, about 100 members of the extended a-Samuni family were huddled inside one house in the a-Zeitun neighborhood of Gaza City. The next morning, an Israeli airstrike killed 21 people inside the house, including 9 children and 10 women, and injured dozens of other family members. During the next two days, the army refused access to medical teams, in spite of being informed of the terrible outcome by family members who managed to escape the bombed home and human rights and humanitarian organizations, including B'Tselem. When medics managed to get to site, they found four small children next to their dead mothers in one of the houses, and evacuated several wounded people. The army refused permission to evacuate the bodies and they remained in the rubble for a further two weeks.”

Referring to their support for a Unit of the Givati Brigade the Steinmetz website states “During Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip, the Foundation helped the Unit purchase complementary equipment as well as visited and cared for the wounded soldiers.”

Diamonds that are generating revenue used to fund a regime guilty of war crimes are de-facto blood diamonds.

We call on De-Beers to show respect for the surviving victims of the diamond-funded Givati Brigade’s actions in Gaza who have been left bereaved, maimed and traumatised and withdraw the offending display immediately.

End.

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Comments (10 of 10)

@wolfhound

by lefty

Thu Jun 07, 2012 09:21

Leaving aside the fact that their infrastructure has been deliberately bombed to shit by the Israeli planes and most building materials aren't allowed into Gaza, the main reason palestinians can't be self sufficient is because all their borders are closed off by israel and raw materials are very limited since Israel disallows most of it. The idea is that they give up trying to live an impossible life and move somewhere else. Backdoor ethnic cleansing. Open the borders and they'll be self sufficient instead of shooting people who come in boats with aid in the head from helicopters.

Isn't It amazing how dissidents are openly armed with modern weapons and sent into syria to shoot people yet a boatload of peace activists with cement are shot if they try to dock in gaza!!!

Aid to zionists.

by wolfhound

Wed Jun 06, 2012 17:09

I suppose that the posture of the Palestinians has never been militaristic in your book ? And that the figure of 3 billion over the past two years in aid to the Palestinians - much of it from the US - has gone to upgrade civil society , or at least that part of it which is controlled by the PA ? Or might it just have gone on grandiose schemes á la Arafat and bugger the Palestinian people ? Palestinians are never going to become fully responsible for their own destinies as long as posturing europeans continue to let them off the hook every time.

Wed Jun 06, 2012 11:49

no threat from the elderly jewish people, however the zionist institution they were defending is very threatening to palestinians, Iranians and indeed the whole world if they start a war with Iran. Israel currently has >200 nuclear weapons and are itching to attack Iran. I think that's rather threatening don't you? Their attitude to and mistreatment of palestinians is a great source of tension in the middle east. Most thinking jewish people worldwide are fed up of their history being hijacked by zionists to further their geopolitical ends and close down discussion while they systematically abuse palestinian human rights in the open prison that is gaza. This militaristic posturing is funded by blood diamonds and US military aid worth billions

Leftys' rant.

Tue Jun 05, 2012 20:19

I'm glad you got that off your chest, Lefty. The threat to civilisation-as-we-know-it from three elderly Jews in a Dublin street is too horrible to contemplate.

@ wolfhound the troll

Tue Jun 05, 2012 19:45

well they do think they are "gods chosen people", as do all religious people!! however, leaving aside the likelihood that there is no god, logically all but one of these arrogant belief systems must be wrong. I doubt any god worth their salt would have anything to do with murderous zionists unless it is quite a nasty malevolent god, but then, who would want to worship that??

@lefty

Tue Jun 05, 2012 17:00

" clearly " she did no such thing. Neither did the geezer with his " and they say they're Gods Chosen People " snide remark. He seemed to have no problem identifying the three people as Jewish. If you want to flog a dead horse go up to Smithfield.

Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:40

clearly what the lady was implying was that unfortunately the zionist viewpoint is not just limited to Israeli zionists but is also evidently present in some misguided Irish people too!

Three Jewish people.

Tue Jun 05, 2012 02:02

wilcoxfamily at eircom dot net

Three Jewish people challenge the boycotters........ " unfortunately they're Irish " says the woman with the leaflets.. So much for the "we're not anti-semitic..we're anti-Zionist routine.

Not just Israel

by An Draighneán Donn

Mon Jun 04, 2012 17:24

The horror of De Beers is not just its support for the Israeli Apartheid régime, but all of it's blood soaked history. It was set up as part of the genocidal conquest of southern Africa by Cecil Rhodes, for the British empire, and funded by the Rothschild family - the most bloody family in all of history. And down to this day, it remains a bloody instigator of war and violence in Africa.

Video of ...

by planxtysumoud - Boycott Israeli Blood Diamonds

Sun Jun 03, 2012 15:23

yesterday's Boycott Israeli Blood Diamonds group awareness session in Grafton Street yesterday.

Caption: Video Id: WPb5bFEJX7c Type: Youtube Video
Boycott Israeli Blood Diamonds, Dublin 2-6-2012

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De-Beers asked to remove blood diamond display from Tower of London

Comments (10 of 10)