Welcome to another bulletin for 2024.
Attendance; Again a very healthy 15 persons including our speaker.
Apologies: Max Morris(SouthIslandering)
Presidential announcements;
Another working bee at Parnell community garden ,this Thursday 22nd.Avis is promising scones at 10.30.
Waiheke Art Trail Walk is set for Wednesday 13th March in place of our normal meeting, with Thursday as reserve day if bad weather on Wednesday.
Catch the 10.00ferry,bus to walk, walk, have some lunch, then bus back to ferry.
Walk the sculptures (20) along the coast then retire to lunch with hosts Ingrid, Phil and Don.
3 Minute speaker was David Jones recounting the Lion's1971 rugby match against Canterbury in Christchurch, which he attended.
Described as a boxing match with a little rugby, resulting in 3 Lions flying home from the tour injured.
Players included Alex Wyllie and Fergie McCormack-Canterbury lost 14 to 3 and the Lions went on to win the series against the All Blacks.
Sargent Wendy again raised about $120
Reminded us it was Valentines Day-in 1984 Torvell and Dean won a gold ice skating medal-Nick had a letter to the editor (again)-fight over buttered chicken-super Bowl-Malcolm's electric bike completed a trip so the range is OK-and she sold a book she had just read for $20.
Speaker was Juliet MOSES of the Jewish Council f of New Zealand talking on the history of Israel and the arabs in the Middle East.
The jewish community in New Zealand numbers fewer than 10,000. She is a trained lawyer, loves Israel, has visited 7 times an supports the separate Palestinian state solution and has even met the head of state of Palestine.
History is that the Jewish people have long been connected to some of that area and after the Turkish administration up to the end of War 1 it was under a French/UK mandate .The Balfour Declaration in 1917 declared some of the area a Jewish homeland, but not the Gaza strip or the West Bank.
When UK handed their control to the UN in 1947 Israel declared independence soon after in May 1948 and the War of Independence started the next day with the Arabs.
When Israel "won" ,700,000 local Arabs became Palestinian refugees.
Currently 20% of the Israeli population remains Arab and are full Israeli citizens.
In the 1967 war the Gaza strip and the West Bank was taken by Israel.
Gaza is about 400square miles with 2.5million people.
In 2005 Israel withdrew, removing its settlements and some8000people.In 2006Hamas won the election and have governed since. In 2009 Israel and Egypt blockaded arms from Gaza.
Hamas has about 30,000fighters supported by Iran, Turkey and Quatar.
There are now about 5 million Palestinian refugees.
Israel attacked, after Hamas killed 1,200Israelis on 7th October2023,with aim of destroying Hamas.
Juliet even has an ap on her cellphone showing her when rockets are being fired on Israel
No surrounding countries have offered to take in refugees from Gaza.
About 30,000 Palestinians have died to ate in this conflict.
A factual background to this conflict, with little political comment.
Meeting closed at 8.37
