Anglo-Israel Association
Anglo-Israel Association (AIA) is a British charity established in 1949. Its primary aim is to promote better economic, scientific and cultural relations between the United Kingdom and the State of Israel.
The Association was established in 1949 by Brigadier General Sir Wyndham Deedes, the first Chief Secretary to the British High Commissioner to Mandate Palestine, who thought that it should not be for Jews alone to support the State of Israel. As a non-partisan organisation, the AIA is today an independent charity with active membership of people from different faiths and from across the political spectrum. The current Chair of the Executive Board is Lord Paul Bew.[1]
History
During World War II Sir Wyndham Deedes established in London a British Association for the Jewish National Home in Palestine. Its mission was to “To promote education concerning Palestine by organising lectures and discussions and by issuing bulletins and other publications”. Deedes believed that the best way to present the Zionist case to the English public was by a physical centre where films could be shown, photos displayed, meetings of small groups could be held. On 15th February 1944 the Association opened Palestine House in Manchester Square where events, talks and film screenings were regularly held for groups who had been invited to drop in. In 1945 The Association recorded 2500 visitors to Palestine House.[2]
The Association later moved on to organising events across the United Kingdom. The Association's activists organised meetings, sometimes as many as three a day, in a given area by getting in touch with religious groups, political groups, Rotary and similar clubs, United Nations Association branches, Co-operative Guilds, Universities and Schools etc, throughout the country to present the case for a Jewish homeland in Palestine.[2]
The Jewish sponsors of the Association were Victor Gollancz and Joseph Linton and among the earliest Christian sponsors were S.S. Hammersley, MP, Chairman of the House of Commons Committee on Palestine, and Sir Andrew McFadyean who was interested in the economic and social developments of the National Home.[2]
In 1949, following the establishment of the State of Israel, the Association was re-established under the new name of Anglo-Israel Association (AIA) with the same broad purpose of fostering friendship and understanding between Great Britain and Israel.[3]
The AIA's activities in the 50s and 60s consisted largely of conducting parties of Israeli students in London to places of note, the House of Commons and County Hall, St James’s Palace and the Guildhall, the Law Courts and newspaper offices. Films of Israel were shown to the parties at the offices of the British Council. The new Association was becoming more formal than its predecessor and it started to win subscribing members, enrolling a few hundreds in addition to the core of the faithful attendants at Palestine House. For the next few years it arranged occasional lectures in the Hall of the Royal Society of Arts and organised an annual dinner. In 1954 it entertained as principal guest the Prime Minister, Harold MacMillan, and in 1955 Lord Balfour and Lord (Herbert) Morrison. It arranged also programmes of “Any Questions”, which were then the vogue, with panels of experts on the Middle East.[2]
Current Activities
The Anglo-Israel Association works in a variety of areas including educational scholarships, journalists briefings and public lectures, as well as providing insight to policy makers and opinion formers in Parliament, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the electronic and print media, think tanks and the Church. Some notable activities include:
- The Association administers two trusts, the Kenneth Lindsay Scholarship Trust commemorating a former Director of the Association which awards scholarships to Israeli students wishing to study in UK universities, and the Wyndham Deedes Travel Scholarship Trust, named in honour of the Association's founder, which provides scholarships for UK graduates to undertake research in Israel.[4]
- The Association organises annual scientific roundtables on the hot issues of the day bringing together British and Israeli scientists and business leaders. The topics covered include Renewable Energy[5], Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder[6], Water Technology[7], Cyber Security[8], Food Security[9] and Artificial Intelligence[10].
- The AIA's maintains a network of Israeli academics who have briefed many British journalists and news outlets on issues relating to Israel and the Middle East. Examples include BBC News, the Bureau Chief and the news department of Al Jazeera English and the Bureau Chief at Al-Arabiya TV.
- The AIA has briefed many members of Parliament of all parties; has contributed written evidence to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee report on Global Security in the Middle East. In addition, the Association has given regular briefings to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office including analysts and policy makers; Ministry of Defence and Cabinet Office. As well as the Head of Arab-Israel North Africa Group and the Head of the Middle East and North Africa Research Group.
- The AIA regularly holds talks, lectures and seminars for various think tanks including Institute for Public Policy Research, International Policy Institute at Kings College, Royal United Services Institute, London. It also worked in conjunction with Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI) to mount a RUSI Middle East Forum Seminar on ‘The Hamas-Israel War and its Aftermath: Risks and Opportunities’[2] and also a RUSI Conference on ‘The Second Lebanon War: Lessons for Modern Militaries’.[11]
- Together with the Royal Institution of International Affairs, Chatham House the AIA participated in a Palestinian Refugees Project simulation exercise looking at possible resolutions.[12]
- In order to deepen clergy knowledge, the Association has run visits to Israel for senior Christian Clergy so that they will have a better and more informed understanding of the current situation in Israel and the Middle East.[13]
- The Association organises annual dinners for its members featuring high-profile keynote speakers including President Chaim Herzog, Teddy Kollek, Natan Sharansky, Richard Perle, John Le Carre, David Grossman, AB Yehoshua, Tommy Lapid, Lord Woolf, Denis Ross and more recently Shlomo Avineri, Ari Shavit, Amos Yadlin, Aluf Benn, Matti Friedman and many others.[14]
General Amos Yadlin speaking at the AIA Annual Dinner - On the cultural side, the AIA has held concerts with Israeli musicians, fashion shows with Israeli designers and wine tastings of Israeli wines.[15]
- In November 2020, following the Abraham Accords, the AIA hosted a high-profile public webinar featuring the ambassadors in Britain of the UAE, Bahrain and Israel, in a panel event moderated by Lord Finkelstein.[16] The first public appearance of Arab ambassadors with their Israeli counterpart in London, the ambassadors spoke of their hopes for close co-operation and, in the pointed comments of both the UAE ambassador, Mansoor Abulhoul, and the Bahraini ambassador, Sheikh Fawaz al-Khalifa, their wish that the Abraham Accords should be “a warm peace”. [17]
Mergers
In October 2020 it was announced Anglo-Israel Association was merging with the London-based group UK-Israel Business to work together "in their shared mission to strengthen the bilateral relationship between the UK and Israel."[18]
References
- ↑ "Who We are - Anglo Israel Association". www.angloisraelassociation.com. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "AIA MAGAZINE 2019 - Anglo Israel Association". www.angloisraelassociation.com. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ↑ "Home - Anglo Israel Association - Shalom & Welcome". www.angloisraelassociation.com. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ↑ "Scholarships - Anglo Israel Association". www.angloisraelassociation.com. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ↑ "The Anglo-Israel Association's 4th Ambassadors Roundtable on Renewable Technology - Anglo Israel Association". www.angloisraelassociation.com. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ↑ "AIA Roundtable 2015 - Anglo Israel Association". www.angloisraelassociation.com. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ↑ "AIA ROUNDTABLE 2016 - Anglo Israel Association". www.angloisraelassociation.com. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ↑ Staff, S. C. (2017-03-13). "Israel-UK cyber-security lessons – shared concerns, shared responses". SC Media. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ↑ "Ambassadors Roundtable on Food Security - Anglo Israel Association". www.angloisraelassociation.com. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ↑ "AIA ROUNDTABLE 2018 - Anglo Israel Association". www.angloisraelassociation.com. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ↑ "The Second Lebanon War: Lessons for Modern Militaries". www.rusi.org. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ↑ "Israeli Perspective on the Palestinian Refugees Issue" (PDF). Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "CLERGY VISIT TO ISRAEL JANUARY 2019 - Anglo Israel Association". www.angloisraelassociation.com. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ↑ "Item Category Balfour Dinner Archive - Anglo Israel Association". www.angloisraelassociation.com. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ↑ "A ZOOM INTRODUCTION TO THE PREMIUM WINES OF ISRAEL - Anglo Israel Association". www.angloisraelassociation.com. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ↑ The Ambassadors of UAE, Bahrain & Israel: Abraham Accords & Their Vision for Regional Cooperation, retrieved 2021-10-17
- ↑ Frazer, Jenni. "Ambassadors for peace: UAE, Bahrain and Israel envoys to UK in historic meeting". jewishnews.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
- ↑ "A new era for UK Israel Business". UK Israel Business. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
External links
This article "Anglo-Israel Association" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Anglo-Israel Association. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
