The Zionist Federation has urged the British government and European Union to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation.

In a campaign launched this week, the ZF claimed the IRG was responsible for arms transfers to terrorist groups, had worked with al-Qaeda, backed Syrian President Bashar Assad, and had masterminded attacks against British citizens abroad.

X Factor winner Alexandra Burke has pulled out of this week's Zionist Federation concert to celebrate Israel’s 65th birthday.

The singer, who performed at Jewish weddings with the Gilev Showband before her rise to fame in 2008, was due to perform at the Yom Ha’atzmaut event at Wembley Arena on Tuesday evening.

The X Factor winner Alexandra Burke will perform at next month's Zionist Federation event, celebrating Israel’s 65th birthday.

The star, who spent time singing at weddings and barmitzvahs with leading simchah performers the Gilev Showband before her rise to fame in 2008, will perform at the Yom Ha’atzmaut event on April 16.

Israel faces a series of extreme challenges in the changing Middle East but can overcome the threat of a nuclear Iran, former intelligence chiefs have claimed.

Efraim Halevy, former Mossad director and ex-chief of Israel’s National Security Council, and Sir Richard Dearlove, former head of MI6, discussed a wide range of issues affecting the region at the Zionist Federation annual dinner.

The Birthright trips to introduce Israel to young Jews who have never visited have become a fixture of the Zionist calendar. But Redbridge is about to pioneer a new take on the idea — a Birthright-style trip for senior citizens.