David Cameron has pledged that Israel would always be an ally of Britain while he remained 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."
Mr Cameron said he stood up for Israel’s right to defend its citizens, “a right enshrined in international law, in natural justice and fundamental morality”.
He told the 1,300 guests: "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.'
Mr Cameron praised Norwood, the charity which provides services to more than 7,000 vulnerable people in the community, and condemned attacks on its charity shops, believed to be motivated by antisemitism during the Gaza conflict this summer.
"To me, Norwood epitomises that sense of togetherness," he said.
"You help Arabs, Muslims, Pakistanis and Chinese. You do not 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 in any form. There is never any excuse for antisemitism."
Referring to his late son Ivan, who died aged six in 2009, he said he understood the value of the support a charity like Norwood could provide.
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 that they could get the love, care, attention and therapy they really needed.
"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."
He added: "It’s vital support for the staff in delivering the services that Norwood offers. It’s a great experience for the volunteers themselves. And, frankly, it’s something I want to see more of in our country."
Guests at the dinner, at the Grosvenor Hotel in central London, included showbusiness impresario Simon Cowell, retail magnate Sir Philip Green and the newly ennobled Baroness Brady.
Norwood President Richard Desmond thanked guests for their support.
