Former James Bond star Roger Moore has travelled to Israel with a mission to promote circumcision.

The trip may sound a little bit like sending coals to Newcastle — but actually is in the cause of preventing Aids.

The actor will hand the proceeds from an appearance at the Eilat Chamber Music Festival to the Jerusalem Aids Project (JAIP) — an Israeli programme that encourages male circumcision as a way of reducing HIV in Africa. Moore hopes his monetary gesture will help to pay for Israeli doctors to train Africans in how to perform circumcisions as a measure to prevent the spread of the disease.

He said: “Who better than Jewish and Muslim doctors from Israel to carry out this procedure?”