Sun, song and solidarity on south coast

In between the changeable weather of sunshine and rain, young and old sang celebratory verses of Hava Nagila, Am Yisrael Chai, and joined hands in circles to dance the traditional Israeli hora.

The mayor of the settlement of Efrat, Oded Ravivi had come to Brighton to speak at the rally.

He said: "Foreigners who come to visit Efrat think they are coming into a war zone. But actually what they see is a green city with no fence or security measures around it, living peacefully with its surrounding Arab neighbours."

Howard Feldman, 57, an American who has been living in the UK since 1986, said: "The leadership have failed to motivate and mobilise the community."

Joe Donell, 46, from Yorkshire said: "I was raised Catholic. Without Judaism there would be no Christianity. Politically, I am here because I am sick to death of hearing all the pro-Palestinian propaganda. The Israeli side is not being heard. "

Dan Jager, 19, from London, spent a year in Israel with FZY and plans to make aliyah and serve in the IDF. "No matter where you are in the country," he said, "it is important to show support for Israel."