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Sunday 8th September.

We will visit Sderot, the Nova Music Festival Memorial Site and Kibbutz Alumim, one of the settlements close to the Gaza border fence, where heavy fighting took place on 7th October. Some 16/17 Thai workers were killed in Alumim, and a number taken hostage. Unfortunately, the exact numbers are still unclear. It will be an emotional and reflective experience and our goal is to bear witness to what happened on that day. Led by Eric Isaacson, a local resident and tour guide, we will meet those affected. Hopefully by visiting we will be able to reflect on the impact of these events and process our own experiences while showing solidarity and helping those living in the Otef. 

We believe this tour is of the utmost importance.

Tour itinerary
07.30 – 08.00 – There will be several coach stops. Pick up will begin at Ir Yamim (Netanya) and go from there to Herzliya
– Tour round Sderot to include stop at lookout for overview and introduction to Gaza
– Sderot to Tkuma and Nova sites
– Nova to Kibbutz Alumim
– Lunch at, and tour of Kibbutz Alumim
17.30 – 18.00 – Return to Herzliya/Ir Yamim (Netanya)

The cost is NIS 275 per member and NIS 295 per non-member (inclusive of lunch).

NB During these challenging times IBCA reserves the right to make last minute changes to the itinerary or postpone the event if advised by the authorities.

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Dr Kedar, a well known advocate for Israel and a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University, with a unique understanding of how Middle Eastern countries operate, expressed his views on the ongoing war and how he expects other countries to react based on his exceptional understanding of the neighbourhood in which we live. He then answered questions and it was very clear how knowledgeable he, due to the speed of his responses. It was a privilege to listen to him.

The post Breakfast with Dr Mordechai Kedar – “Israel, Islam and the Middle East. Is there any hope for peace?” first appeared on IBCA Israel, Britain & the Commonwealth Assoc.

We were delighted to announce the return of our flagship event – The Annual Balfour Dinner. Originally planned for the 9th November 2023, the event was postponed due to the outbreak of the war.

The Dinner commemorates the Balfour Declaration of November 2^nd 1917 when Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Arthur James Balfour, wrote to Lord Rothschild committing the British Government to creating a homeland for the Jewish People in Palestine – the catalyst for the reborn State of Israel. Its significance is  reflected in the continued special relationship between Israel and Britain.

Initially advertised as a celebration marking the milestone 75th anniversary of the State of Israel, the Executive recognised the importance and the positivity of the message for the Balfour Dinner to go ahead. It was felt that people would want to identify with Israel, show that they are proud to be Israeli or to be visiting during the war and it sent a strong message that we’re still here and not going anywhere. In addition, it was considered important to keep the relationships between the countries strong.

The dinner was a truly successful evening. We were honoured to have two exceptional guest speakers. Our guest speaker from the United Kingdom was Colonel Richard Kemp, CBE. Colonel Kemp served in the British army from 1977 – 2006 and has spent his life fighting terrorism. Our guest speaker from Israel was Ambassador Dan Gillerman, Israel’s former Ambassador to the United Nations. A regular interviewee on Sky News – and numerous other channels – he is an outstanding presenter. The unofficial stars of the evening were the lone soldiers from HaBait Shel Benji, their table was generously sponsored by two of our guests. Through the brochure for the dinner, IBCA also raised significant funds for Stand With Us, a cause that could not be more fitting during this time.

Our guests included British Ambassador, H. E. Simon Waters, Australian Ambassador, H. E. Ralph King, Canadian Ambassador, H. E. Lisa Stadelbauer, Cypriot Ambassador, H. E. Kornelios Korneliou, Sri Lankan Ambassador, H. E. Nimal Bandara and Ambassador Daniel Taub, formerly the representative of the State of Israel in the United Kingdom.

We were fortunate to have a wonderful write up of the evening written by journalist Leon Kraiem, for the Jerusalem Post.

You can view the commemorative brochure from this years Balfour Dinner below.

The post THE BALFOUR DINNER 1st February 2024 first appeared on IBCA Israel, Britain & the Commonwealth Assoc.

The film’s Executive Producer, Avi Benlolo, is the Founder and Chairman of Canadian NGO Abraham Global Peace Initiative. Mr. Benlolo attended the screening and spoke of the importance of the hope for Israel’s future, specifically the hope for peace.

For a sneak preview of the film, please click HERE

We would like to highlight that registration for this exclusive event was limited to IBCA Members. To become a member and ensure that you don’t miss out on upcoming IBCA events please click HERE

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It was lovely it was to meet the previous Australian Ambassador in such an informal setting and be able to chat with him personally. Ambassador King circulated among the IBCA guests and tried to meet as many of us as possible.

We were extremely fortunate to have the exceptional Professor Suzie Navot, come to address us. Professor Navot is the Vice President of Research at the IDI and a full professor of constitutional law.

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In the morning we toured the Knesset and had a private audience with Moshe Tur-Paz MK (Yesh Atid) and in the afternoon, we will visited Yad Vashem where two fantastic guides who brought so much humanity and emotional understanding into their descriptions of the horrors’ of the Holocaust. The work they do is beyond important and we were extremely grateful and appreciative to have had the opportunity to listen to them.

The post Lessons from the Past and for the Future first appeared on IBCA Israel, Britain & the Commonwealth Assoc.

On Wednesday 2nd November IBCA visited Jerusalem exploring sites associated with the British Mandate.

The was especially significant because it was the 105th Anniversary of the Balfour Declaration.

Whilst there are plenty of unpleasant memories concerning the period of the British Mandate, one of the more positive aspects was the expansion and gentrification of Western Jerusalem outside the walls of the Old City. This was due to the vision of General Allenby who wanted to make Jerusalem into an attractive modern city.

Our guide, Stephen Kliner, gave us an excellent and informative tour and many of us learned new facts and visited unfamiliar and well known sites.

We look forward to to more trips in the future!

The post Exploring British Mandate Jerusalem first appeared on IBCA Israel, Britain & the Commonwealth Assoc.

Following the outstanding success of last year’s event, we were delighted to have the honour of being hosted, once more, by the British Ambassador H. E. Neil Wigan – in the beautiful grounds of his residence – for a reception on Thursday 6th October.

As last year, the reception was be followed by a talk given by an excellent guest speaker. On this occasion IBCA was exceedingly privileged that Mr Andrew Abir, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Israel, gave a presentation on “The return of inflation? Challenges for Monetary Policy”.

British born Andrew Abir earned a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University, and an MBA from Jerusalem’s Hebrew University.

His talk was interesting and informative and was enjoyed by all.

We were honoured to be joined by Canadian Ambassador H.E. Lisa Stadelbauer, Australian Deputy Head of Mission Mr Mathew Wise and Indian First Secretary Mr Naveen Ramakrishner.

The post Reception at the British Ambassador’s Residence 2022 first appeared on IBCA Israel, Britain & the Commonwealth Assoc.

Journalist Greer Cashman, reported on the event in the Jerusalem Post: http://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-706557

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