Palestinians are by far the biggest victims of blood diamond-funded violence. The diamond industry is "one of the cornerstones of the Israeli economy" and revenue from that industry is used to deny Palestinians the most basic of human rights -- the right to life. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed by Israel's diamond-funded military. Millions of Palestinians suffer daily humiliation and denial of the inalienable rights as they languish in refugee camps across the Middle East, eke out an existence under occupation and brutal subjugation in the occupied Palestinian territories, and endure discrimination in their daily lives under the apartheid regime in Israel.
If the diamond industry is to restore consumer trust in diamonds it will have to tackle the issue of Israeli blood diamonds and prevent Israel from using the industry to bankroll its apartheid regime and associated daily human-rights abuses. Jewelers should not allow their business to act as an economic shield behind which Israeli blood diamonds masquerade as conflict-free diamonds. The time for action is now -- jewelers must ban the trade in all blood diamonds and not just those associated with diamond mining.
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