A new umbrella organisation called Nili14 - an abbreviation of the biblical phrase, "the eternity of Israel will not lie" - has been formed to support grassroots groups in the wake of the Gaza conflict.

The aim of the group is to provide leadership, resources, and help Jewish activists respond quickly to anti-Israel publicity and protests.

A spokesperson said: "Nili14 intends to act solely as a resource centre and will not take over from the work of existing grassroots groups."

The campus pro-Israel advocacy group StandWithUs UK has held its fifth annual conference, with Israeli ambassador Daniel Taub and Baroness Deech as speakers. Over 120 people, mainly students, attended.

The group's campus director, Jonathan Hunter, said he welcomed the proliferation of grassroots activity. "If we share the same philosophy that's wonderful. The more groups the better. But StandWithUs UK is particularly focused on the specific battle on UK campuses."

Another grassroots initiative, Israel Advocacy UK, launched last week with the goal of providing members of the community with the "essential skills needed to advocate for Israel at a critical time".

Douglas Murray of the Henry Jackson Society and Stuart Polak, director of Conservative Friends of Israel, both spoke at the group's inaugural event.