Cameron pledges Israel support
DAVID CAMERON has pledged that Israel will always be an ally of Britain while he remains in Downing Street.
Speaking at the annual Norwood dinner on Monday night — which raised a record-breaking £3.6 million for the charity — the Prime Minister said: “Israel is our ally. Israel is our friend and, with me as Prime Minister, that will never change.
“The road to peace in the Middle East remains long and challenging, but Britain will stand with Israel every step of the way.” Mr Cameron told the 1,300 guests that he stood up for Israel’s right to defend its citizens, “a right enshrined in international l aw, in natural justice and fundamental morality”.
He added: “I look forward to the day when Israeli parents can send their 18-year-old children to university rather than the army.
“But that peace does not start with giving in to terrorists.
“During the summer, Hamas rained down rockets on Israel, built extensive tunnels to kidnap and murder, and repeatedly refused to accept ceasefires.
“As Prime Minister Netanyahu has said: ‘Israel uses missile defence to protect its civilians. Hamas uses civilians to protect their missiles. There can never be any equivalence between the two.’”
Mr Cameron went on to condemn the rise in UK antisemitism during the Gaza conflict in the summer.
“You help Arabs, Muslims, Pakistanis and Chinese, ” he said. “You d o n o t discriminate. You are a charity that is proud to be Jewish, but proud to be British, too.
“So it is even more distressing when, this summer, a couple of Norwood charity shops were targeted as part of a number of utterly despicable antisemitic attacks.
“We will never stand by when such awful things happen and we will use the full force of the law to prosecute the perpetrators of such disgusting crimes.
“No disagreements on politics or policy should ever be allowed to justify racism, prejudice or extremism. There is never any excuse for antisemitism.”
In an emotional part of his speech, he talked about his son Ivan, who died at the age of six in 2009 after being diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy. Mr Cameron said he understood the value of the support provided by charities like Norwood,whichhelpsmorethan7,000 vulnerable people in the community. It was, he said, integral to his vision of the Big Society.
He said: “As the parent of a severely disabled son, I know what it’s like to worry about whether your child would have somewhere other than home where they could get the love, care, attention and therapy they really need.
“It’s hard to put into words the emotions you go through as a parent. So I know what the support of a charity like Norwood can mean.
“Yes, there is a Big Society in Britain. But I didn’t create it. The British people did. I just want to give it voice and boost it wherever and whenever I can.
“And, frankly, there’s no better example of it than right here in this room tonight.” His sentiments were echoed by fellow speaker, s h o w b u s i n e s s mogul Simon Cowell.
He said: “A lot of what I do is about nur
t u r i n g talent, helping people make the most of their potential. Norwood, too, helps people maximise their potential. It’s a fantastic organisation.”
Norwood president Richard Desmond, who was described as a “remarkable man” by Mr Cameron, thanked attendees for their support. Retail magnate Sir Philip Green, business leader Baroness Brady and radio host Vanessa Feltz were among guests at the event at the Grosvenor Hotel in central London.