Posted on 08/06/2008 1:39:55 AM PDT by forkinsocket
Israeli diamond merchants active in West Africa, responding to the report in Haaretz on Monday that defense officials are worried Hezbollah terrorists will target Israeli communities there, said the Lebanese movement enjoyed the strong support of locals.
"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 companies that deal in diamonds, agriculture, communications and security operate mainly in Sierra Leone, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and Kenya. Hundreds of Israelis reside on the African continent, for the most part families with children who live in the vicinity of the diamond mines in West Africa. Sources close to the Israeli companies say that some have begun evacuating employees from the area following the defense establishment's warning. At this point, the move is being billed as a vacation until things settle down, but it is not clear whether the companies will risk sending their staff back.
(Excerpt) Read more at haaretz.com ...
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