An Israeli politician today called for Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ movie to be banned from Israeli cinemas, calling it a blood libel.

"The whole thing is a blood libel," said Eli Yishai, who heads the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party in the Israeli parliament, using a term that refers to a medieval slur that Jews used the blood of Christians to make unleavened bread for the Passover festival.

However, it appeared unlikely that the film would be banned. Few films have been barred in recent years, and the ones to be forbidden are usually pornographic.

The Israeli film board, which makes these decisions, could not be reached for comment.

The Passion, which depicts in gruesome detail the final hours of the life of Jesus, premiered in the US and other countries today, but not in Israel.

Yishai said the belief that the Jews had killed Jesus had led to "millions" of Jews being killed and persecuted in the past two millennia.

"This libel used to spread by word of mouth. Now the media are spreading it," Yishai said. "We should not accept this."

Yishai said he had also appealed to the Israeli Foreign Ministry to try to encourage other governments to bar the film.