The chair of Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel (LDFI) and the former chief executive of the Chief Rabbi’s Office are among the more than 50 new members of the House of Lords.

Monroe Palmer, a Liberal Democrat councillor, will be joined as a peer by two Jewish former MPs, Susan Kramer and Oona King.

Controversial Lib Dem peer Jenny Tonge has accused Israel of being the “cause of terrorism” and said the West’s treatment of Muslims was due to “Holocaust guilt” and the power of the pro-Israel lobby.

Baroness Tonge, who was sacked in February by leader Nick Clegg as health spokesperson after demanding an investigation into allegations of organ harvesting by the IDF in Haiti, made the comments in the House of Lords on Friday.

The Liberal Democrat peer Lord Phillips of Sudbury has denied questioning Israel’s right to exist and claims he once volunteered to fight for the Jewish state.

The comments were said to have been made at a meeting of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign at the House of Commons last week.

It is a pleasure to be here and to see so many distinguished guests, including Rabbi Tony Bayfield and the Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks. Chief Rabbi, it is hard to exaggerate the esteem in which you are held by British people of all faiths and of none.

Kristallnacht and Government support for Holocaust education

Jewish candidates in the general election are facing a long day until the polls close tonight, and many have an uncertain night ahead.

Former Labour Friends of Israel Director Luciana Berger is standing in her first election as Labour’s candidate for Liverpool Wavertree.

Despite an impressive CV, Ms Berger upset some locals who saw her as being “parachuted” into a safe Labour seat and now the Liberal Democrats are favourites with the bookmakers to take the seat.

Hornsey and Wood Green Liberal MP Lynne Featherstone was among over 150 Highgate Synagogue members and guests at the induction of Rabbi Nicky Liss on Shabbat.

Rabbi Liss, 33, said the day was one of the proudest of his life. “It was an incredible occasion and my family flew in from all over the world to witness the induction.” The involvement of Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks had been “an inspiration to me and many members of the synagogue told me they felt touched by the occasion”.