Sean Ambrose
Diamonds, the gemstones that have been romanticised into the very essence of love, commitment and the occasional midlife crisis.
Before you succumb to the allure of that glittering stone, letâs take a moment to peel back the layers of this onion. The inconvenient truths that would make an onion cry.
It seems that some diamonds are not just a girlâs best friend; they are also the cause for mass exploitation and child slavery in Africa and the funding of the genocide that is being orchestrated against the Palestinians in Gaza - along with a side serving of hypocrisy and grandstanding by the Commonwealth Government of Australia.
Letâs start with the undeniable fact that Israels diamond industry is a heavyweight in the trade arena, accounting for up to 30% of its exports. While some countries are busy exporting mundane goods like wheat, textiles or beef, Israel is busy turning carbon into cash - particularly in a way that often resembles a high-stakes game of Monopoly, where the 'Get Out of Jail cardâ is inexplicably available to those with political influence and money.
According to Israeli economist Shir Hever, every time you buy a diamond exported from Israel, â⊠the Israeli diamond industry contributes about $1 billion annually to the Israeli military and security industries⊠every time somebody buys a diamond that was exported from Israel some of that money ends up in the Israeli military.â
Evidence given by Israeli economist Shir Hever, Russell Tribunal, November 2010.
According to the United Nations, COMTRADE, in 2024 Israel exported US $15.66 million worth of diamonds to Australia. These statistics were last updated as of March 2025.
Of these imports nothing is known in regard to the origins or genesis of these diamonds or what percentage were deemed as âblood diamondsâ and that were mined with child and slave labour.
One would only need to further consider the money that has been generated over decades past with blood diamonds and how this industry of mass exploitation has fueled the Israeli war machine, its illegal occupation and brutal genocide against the people of Palestine.
âIsrael is the international hub for the diamond trade. Ramat Gan in Israel is the worlds largest diamond exporterâ
But who needs peace when you can have a shiny gemstone? After all, those rocks come with a nice little side-effect: theyâre mined with exploited child labour and the kind of children who should be in school learning about the wonders of a world beyond their decimated environments as opposed to toiling away in diamond mines with back breaking exploitation.
These children are trading their childhoods for jewels that will one day adorn the fingers of the oblivious and ignorant. Who knew that the path to eternal love is paved with child exploitation and genocide?
One certainly wonders what Greta Thunberg would think about these children having their childhood and dreams stolen and perhaps whether diamonds being made of carbon are actually bad for the environment?
Lest we forget, Australia, the land where the sun shines bright and the hypocrisy shines even brighter.
The Commonwealth Governments Modern Slavery Act of 2018 was heralded as a groundbreaking legislative achievement but unfortunately has been nothing more than government and bureaucratic grandstanding.
https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2018A00153/latest/text
While it ostensibly aims to combat modern slavery, it does little more then turn a convenient blind eye to the very industries that benefit from it - such as the diamond industry.
The Australian Government along with Australian diamond merchants seem to have misplaced their moral compasses, possibly lost in the same black hole that swallowed their accountability and inner conscience. After all, if you can turn a blind eye to the fact that diamonds mined under horrific conditions of child exploitation and slavery and the fueling of a genocide then why not throw in some hypocricy for good measure?
Meanwhile, the process of smuggling diamonds across borders is as easy as a government bureaucrat instigating a workers compensation claim because someone used the wrong pro-noun.
Itâs almost as if these gems possess a magical quality, slipping through the fingers of customs officials and airport security with the grace of a ballerina.
Perhaps its just a coincidence that many of the security firms at international airports are also Israeli firms. What a delightful little charade.
While the world is busy trying to ensure that no one smuggles a bottle of water onto a plane, diamonds are pirouetting through airports unnoticed, their origins as dubious as the morality of those who profit from them.
Who wouldnât want to turn a profit while simultaneously undermining and denying basic human rights?
Itâs the ultimate capitalist wet dream!
As we all know, in the world of business, profits must always trump ethics.
So why bother with pesky regulations or moral codes when there are shiny gems to be sold on the back of the exploitation of children, slave labour and genocide?
The next time you gaze into the depths of that diamond ring, remember that you might just be staring into a black hole of exploitation, violence, genocide and hypocrisy.
Those brilliant facets may reflect light, but they also reflect the grim realities that underpin their existence.
So, go ahead and buy that diamond ring for your fiancé and wife to be.
Just remember: every time it sparkles, it might just be giving a twinkle to the injustices that lie beneath. After all, who needs a clear conscience when you can have a shiny stone that was mined with exploitation and injustice!
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