Argentina has cancelled this weekend’s friendly match against Israel in Jerusalem following massive pressure from the BDS boycott movement.

The game, which was due to take place at the city’s Teddy Stadium on Saturday evening, was called off after the Argentine FA bowed to a campaign of threats to its players including Barcelona striker Lionel Messi.

Argentine FA vice president Hugo Moyano told Argentina's Radio 10 that security fears were behind the decision: “I think it's a good thing that the match between Argentina and Israel was suspended. The right thing was done; it's not worth it.

“The stuff that happens in those places where they kill so many people, as a human being you can't accept that in any way.

“The players' families were suffering due to the threats.”

For the past week, demonstrators with blood-drenched Argentina football shirts have been protesting outside the team's camp in Barcelona, where they are training ahead of the World Cup later this month.

Palestinian FA head Jabril Rajoub had called on soccer fans worldwide to burn shirts with Messi's name on it and also threatened to torpedo Argentina's bid to host the 2030 World Cup finals.

But he later described Argentina's decision as a “red card for Israel.”

“If the game between Argentina and Israel had been held in Haifa as originally planned, we wouldn’t have opposed it at all,” he told the Times of Israel on Wednesday.

Israel's Minister of Culture and Sport Miri Regev, who had insisted that the match be switched from Haifa's Sammy Offer Stadium to Jerusalem, came under fire from opposition MKs.

Zionist Union head MK Avi Gabai tweeted: "Regev provoked BDS and caused the cancelation of the match."

Ms Regev described the cancellation as a victory for terrorism and lashed out at what she called “Trojan horses in the Knesset.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu contacted Argentine President Mauricio Macri in an effort to reverse the decision, but was told that the players were determined not to come.

The friendly fixture was intended to be Argentina's last warmup match before the World Cup finals in Russia next week.