Arab lawmakers in Israel's parliament have been tossed out from the house for heckling US Vice President Mike Pence at the start of his speech.

The main Arab party in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, warned ahead of time it would boycott Pence over Donald Trump's decision to name Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Members the Arab Joint List party held up signs reading “Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine”.

The posters were immediately torn from there hands by parliamentary security guards and the MPs were forced out of the chamber.

The Knesset, which is accustomed to such high-profile visits, had added a new layer of security, and besides the speaker and other dignitaries, lawmakers did not have direct access to Pence.

Ayman Odeh, leader of the Joint Arab List, said it was the party's democratic right to boycott the speech by the U.S. vice president. In a tweet, he said the party will not provide a "silent backdrop" to a man he called a "dangerous racist."

Netanyahu called the boycott a disgrace. He and other gave Pence a standing ovation.