[Boycott - Economic - Europe] Galway IPSC : Israeli Blood Diamonds fund war crimes - No Tanks
TD - Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign 8 April 2007 Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign
"The South African apartheid regime never engaged in the sort of repression Israeli is inflicting on the Palestinians" - Ronnie Kasrils, ANC South African Minister
Arming the public with the truth - Information stall in Shop Street
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,
Boycott Atlantic Homecare & Woodie's
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.
Israeli Blood Diamonds - Are Forever On Your Conscience
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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.
Related Link: http://www.ipsc.ie
Boycott Israel
Stop the Wall
Source: http://indymedia.ie/article/81861
Galway, Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign & Israeli Blood Diamonds
TD - Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign 2007-02-10
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.
Giving flyers on Israeli Blood Diamonds
Text of flyer:
Boycott Israeli Blood Diamonds
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
Petition to certify Israel-free diamonds
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.
Students Under Occupation
Source: http://indymedia.ie/article/80943
Also Of Interest
Page URL: http://inminds.com/article.php?id=10157
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