August 5, 2008
Hezb'allah's global reach
Israelis active in the diamond industry in West Africa are reported to be considering evacuating, thanks to the threat they and their families feel from Hezb'allah, "the Party of Allah." Haaretz reports:
"The big problem for Israelis in West Africa is that there are countries whose diamond industry is controled by Lebanese locals, a majority of whom openly support Hezbollah," a source in the Israeli diamond business said Monday. "In effect, these are countries which are known as Hezbollah states," he added. [....]Israeli diamond merchants who live in West Africa say the region is extremely dangerous in terms of personal safety. "They've got bribery and crime, the police don't function, and the Israelis wandering around there are completely exposed and utterly unprotected," one source said.
Kind of gives a new dimension to the term "blood diamond."