The pro-Israel grassroots campaign to combat the boycott and help the homeless at the same time has spread beyond the UK.

IsrAction Day, which encourages the public to buy Israeli products and donate them to homeless charities, has been adopted by groups in South Africa and Germany - and more could follow.

Founding groups North West Friends of Israel and Sussex Friends of Israel are in talks with organisations in the US, Canada, France and Scandinavia to join in on the event on December 13.

The initiative has already attracted the support of the Board of Deputies, Zionist Federation, Jewish Leadership Council and the Glasgow Jewish Representative Council.

Last year's inaugural IsrAction Day saw £30,000 worth of food donated to the homeless, but North West Friends of Israel co-chair Anthony Dennison said that this year the event would be much bigger.

"There's a massive need for people to give to food banks, and it's great that people can support Israel at the same time," he said

"It's also important to support the retailers who ignore anti-Israel boycotts that are really antisemitic campaigns.

"The more people join in, the more it shows how much the boycott is a failure."