Ed Balls MP shows support for Israel

If you weren't one of the 40,000 people that joined the Salute to Israel Rally and Parade on Sunday 29 June - but still want to see the sights from the day then please visit our photo gallery for a selection of parade and rally images.

The parade in Trafalgar Square saw a number of well known communal figures and celebrities address the crowds. The Secretary for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls MP was one of the speakers on the day and was well received by the 'blue and white' crowd.

Below is the speech he gave on the day.

Speech by Ed Balls MP, Secretary of State for Children, Schools & Families at the Salute to Israel rally in Trafalgar Square, London, 29 June 2008.

Can I say to you to all of you, friends - or should I say in hebrew -'Chaverim', - that it really is a great honour to be here today and to be with you all, to be here with the Chief Rabbi, to be here with Minister Herzog - and you are very welcome to our country Minister - to be here with all the honoured guests who are here and most of all to be here with all of you.

And I see myself here both as the representative today of the British Government and all my colleagues from Parliament but also here as a friend to say both, that we must in every generation and at every time do everything that we can to strengthen the partnership between our two countries and also that it is a great honour for me to join with you here for this 60th birthday party to celebrate one of the most momentous events of the 20th Century, the formation of the State of Israel.

This is truly an important birthday to celebrate and my, are you having a great party. There are thousands of people here, also thousands of people in Manchester as well, and I know there were wonderful floats and parades of marching bands. I myself was a boy scout but I have never seen scouts like the ones we saw on the platform earlier. And did you not think that Liel was brilliant.

But this is also, as well as being a family occasion; this is also a very important global day of celebration. It is a day on which the Jewish people are celebrating their strong bond with the State of Israel. But it is also a day in which the whole world can celebrate the contribution that the Jewish people have made to our civilisation and we thank you.

I over the last two years have had a number of chances to visit Israel -- on three different occasions over the last two years. And I have seen an economy which is thriving, and a democracy which is strong and vibrant -- even despite the pressures which are faced by Israel on a daily basis. And we congratulate you for that and indeed there is much that we can learn from your success.

And I know too, that all of us hope and strive and pray for peace and stability in Israel as we also work for and independent and viable and prosperous Palestinian state. And let me say there should be no obstacle that we don't strive to overcome so that we can have an advance, peace and security and stability and prosperity in the Middle East and we will do everything we can to get there.

But let me also say to those people who say that their mission is to destroy the State of Israel, to those people who say that they do not support the values and the aspirations of the Israeli people, to those people who would deny even the right of the Israeli state to exists, let us say to them, 'You will not succeed. You will not succeed and never again should the Jewish people ever have to run from tyranny in our world".

Here in London, across Britain we have experienced in recent years what it is like to live with the threat of terrorism. But I do not think anyone in our country really and truly understands what it is like to be an Israeli citizen on a daily basis. But I have to say in the meeting the Chief Rabbi and I just had with the young people of Sderot, my, don't we admire their courage. We admire their courage and their determination to live their lives to finish their schooling and to go on and fulfil their dreams.

It was the Chief Rabbi who said 'if you want to defend a nation, then you need an army but if you want to defend a civilisation, then you need schools.

And having talked to those young people from Sderot, let me also say here in Britain, I know from my own experience and work that Jewish schools are often setting a great example to our education system. Indeed many of our best schools are Jewish schools and we support the history and tradition and contribution which Jewish faith schools make to our education, to our society and to the continuation of the Jewish faith into the years to come.

So let me end by saying on behalf of the British Government, on behalf of the Prime Minister , thank you for all you have done not only to support the State of Israel over the past 60 years but also the contribution you make to our country here today in Britain in the 21`st Century .

And I can guarantee to you the British Government in good times and in bad times, will always be with you and the Israeli people. So let us join together in a prayer for peace in the Middle East let us today enjoy this great celebration and let us affirm that the people of Israel live on. Or should I say 'Am Yisrael Hi'.