The president of India shocked Israeli MPs by accidentally declaring he 'loves' their sworn enemy Hamas after mispronouncing the name of the popular dish hummus.

To worsen matters, the cringe worthy faux pas was made during a speech to the entire assembled Israeli parliament in Jerusalem - and amid a spate of violence not seen in the region for years.

Pranab Mukherjee only recently arrived in Israel after having first visited Palestine, marking the first ever visit to the region by an India prime minister.

Pranab Mukherjee, India's president, told gathered Israeli MPs his country loved 'Hamas' when he accidentally mispronounced 'hummus'

He made the cringeworthy faux pas while speaking at the Knesset, Israeli's Parliament

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shakes hands with Mr Mukherjee at the Knesset yesterday

During his speech, he tried to tell MPs the Indian population 'enjoys the taste of hummus' - a popular dish in Israel - but instead pronounced it as Hamas, NDTV reported.

It comes as the powerful Islamist group Hamas, which advocates Israel's destruction, continues to give vocal support to Palestinian attacks against Israelis.

The bloodshed has so far seen seven Israelis and 32 Palestinians, including women, children and assailants, killed in the past two weeks.

The violence has been partly triggered by Palestinians' anger over what they see as increased Jewish encroachment on Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque compound, which is also revered by Jews as the site of two destroyed biblical Jewish temples.

Hamas has called for 'rallies of anger and confrontations' to be held in West Bank cities after Friday Muslim prayers.

As rhetoric similar to that seen in past uprisings increases, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stepped up controversial measures aimed at 'terrorists'.

Meanwhile, U.S. State Department suggestions that Israel might be using excessive force to confront the wave of Palestinian stabbing attacks has drawn sharp criticism from senior Israeli cabinet ministers.

Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon accused Washington of 'misreading' the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and he said shooting knife-wielding Palestinians was self-defence.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan called the U.S. remarks 'foolish'.

With U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry due to travel to the Middle East soon to try to calm the violence, Israeli officials said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu swiftly ordered cabinet ministers to say no more publicly about the latest acrimony in a long-troubled relationship with the Obama administration.