A former IDF lieutenant has been elected the new chair of the Zionist Federation.

Solicitor Paul Charney made aliyah from South Africa in 1986 and served in an armoured division of the Israeli army for four years until 1996.

After moving to Britain he set up a law firm. Mr Charney is a member of Conservative Friends of Israel and previously worked with the Jewish Association of Business Ethics.

He will lead the ZF’s new board, elected at Sunday’s biennial conference. Eric Moonman and former chair Harvey Rose will serve as joint presidents, with Howard Ross and David Duke-Cohan as vice-chairs.

Former vice-president Jonathan Hoffman was not re-elected.

Around 100 people attended and heard from Dr Shimon Samuels, director for international relations at the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, and Dr Mordechai Kedar, an expert on the Arab world and Palestinian Authority.

ZF director Alan Aziz said: “The conference illustrated how people will use criticism of Israel to showcase their own antisemitism.”