A former vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel has been appointed to head the Israel-Britain Alliance, a new project designed to increase support for Israel in Parliament.

Launched last week by the Zionist Federation, the IBA will be led by former Labour MP for East Kilbride Michael McCann to build relationships between politicians and grassroots Israel supporters across the country. It will also seek to strengthen ties between the House of Commons and the Knesset.

Mr McCann said that by working closely with grassroots organisation, politicans and organisations in Israel, he hopes that the IBA will strengthen the “strong bilateral ties” between Israel and the UK.

He said that the IBA will also “offer clarity on the Israel/Palestinian conflict, other pressing issues in the Middle East and issues of global significance.”

“Complex issues cannot be solved unless all parties are heard in a spirit of mutual respect.

“My experience tells me that on issues concerning the State of Israel that is not always the case in Britain. The IBA will seek to redress that imbalance and foster a spirit of cooperation and respect as we seek to confront and resolve some of the most difficult issues of our time."

Paul Charney, chairman of the ZF, said: “We’re very excited about the potential that the Israel-Britain Alliance offers to step-up political engagement for Israel. Michael offers great experience and connections within Westminster, enabling us to build bi-partisan relations between elected representatives and our community.”

Mr McCann served as the MP for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow from 2010-2015 and was a member of Trade Union Friends of Israel (TUFI) and a vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) .