Divisions within the Board of Deputies were exposed as 32 representatives signed a letter calling for the organisation to refrain from commenting on Israeli domestic politics.

The news came a day after it was announced that another 50 submitted a letter demanding the Board break its silence on Benjamin Netanyau’s electoral pact with the ultra-nationalist Otzma Yehudit – or “Jewish Power” – party.

In recent days he has also said that Israel is "not a country of all its citizens", and a "nation-state, not of all its citizens, but only of the Jewish people".

On Monday Sheila Gewolb, Senior Vice President, reaffirmed the Board's commitment to "complete equality of social and political rights’ for all Israeli citizens, regardless of characteristics such as religion, race or sex".

She did not mention Mr Netanyahu or his political party, Likud, by name – nor did she address the issue of Otzma Yehudit.

The latest letter – coordinated by Gary Mond, the deputy for the Jewish National Fund (JNF) UK – affirmed the belief of its signatories that “the Board of Deputies should not intervene or pass comment on any aspect of the Israeli elections”.

Mr Mond told the JC that “none of the signatories would condone Otzma Yehudit”, but supported the letter “simply out of principle”.

He said: “The Board shouldn’t get involved in Israeli politics. The internal machinations of the Israeli elections are not a matter for it to comment on, and I think that is an absolute; we would feel the same way whatever the political situation.”

Mr Netanyahu’s positioning ahead of national elections on April 9 has provoked widespread outrage in the diaspora.

Members of Otzma Yehudit describe themselves as successors to the proscribed Kahanist movement, an extremist ideology based on the belief in the establishment of a Jewish state in which non-Jews have no voting rights.