No Belgium Ban on Israeli Diamonds

The government of Flanders, a region of northern Belgium, confirmed that Belgium has no intention of placing sanctions on Israeli diamonds because of the ongoing Middle Eastern troubles between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Martin Hinoul, Belgium's chief of cabinet, delivered this message late last week to Ilan Samuel, a member of the Board of Directors of the Israel Diamond Exchange, thus dispelling any previous insinuations that the European country would ban Israeli diamonds.

Samuel recently visited Belgium as part of a PR mission on behalf of Israeli business leaders and met with sundry government officials, businessmen and members of parliament. Samuel, who also chairs jewelry manufacturers' division of the Israel Export Institute, emphasized that:
1) Belgium rough diamond exports to Israel amount to better than $2 billion annually;
2) diamond exports from Israel to Belgium total about $1 billion annually. Therefore, any sanctions would only hurt both countries.

Furthermore, Schmuel Schnitzer, president of the Israel Diamond Exchange, had also recently beseeched both the High Diamond Council and Bram Fischler, president of the Belgium Diamond Exchange, to intervene with the Belgium government in any adverse decision that might have marred trade relations between the two countries.