Anti-Israel ex-Labour MP George Galloway has tried to use the fact there was once a "Palestine" football team to dispute the claim Palestinians had no country before the foundation of Israel, only to be told it was actually a Jewish team playing before Israel's foundation.

Mr Galloway, who once vowed to make his Bradford constituency an "Israel free zone" and has refused to debate Israeli citizens, tweeted a film clip from a 1939 game between Australia and Palestine, adding: "They say there was never a Palestine..."

People immediately began to point out that the team were Jewish Maccabi players and the team was a British-Mandate Palestinian side.

One Tweeter asked: "George, can't you see the star of David on their shirts?"

Mr Galloway's comment had more than 11,200 Facebook shares and more than 1,480 retweets.

"Thanks for proving to your followers that Jews have always been in Israel, George," wrote journalist Karen Yossman.

At one point in the footage Mr Galloway tweeted, the Australian commentator notes the goalkeeper made a save Maccabi team was Jewish after saving a goal saying “Then again, the Jews were always a saving race."