Israel
The joy of our deluded politicians
There are a number of joys in life that do not get enough attention. One is the sheer, unadulterated pleasure…
Starmer’s double standards
Sir Keir Starmer’s readiness to do ‘whatever it takes’ to support Ukraine seems to be qualified by his fear of…
What’s gone wrong at the National Theatre?
Now we have a Labour government, it would be nice to feel repertory will return to the National Theatre. It…
Portrait of the week: UK cancels Israel exports, Grenfell fire report released and AfD victory in Germany
Home The government cancelled 30 out of 350 export licences for arms to Israel on items that it said could…
No one will change their mind about Hamas
Earlier this summer, my son and I biked over to fashionable east Hackney where it’s normal to pay £4.20 for…
Iran and Hezbollah don’t want a war with Israel
Hezbollah’s response to the killing of senior official Fuad Shukr, when it finally came, was a more minor event than…
Labour’s outrageous attack on academic free speech
In an extraordinary outburst, a government source has described the new Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, introduced by the…
Israel’s strikes on Lebanon bring Jerusalem one step closer to regional dominance
As the dust literally settles across southern Lebanon in the aftermath of the Israeli airstrikes, we are starting to see…
Can anything stop a full-scale conflict in the Middle East?
The fact that the Middle East stands on the brink of a catastrophic war can be explained by a scene…
What will Iran do next?
Following the killings of Hezbollah’s Fuad Shukr and Hamas’s Ismail Haniyeh, Israel and the Middle East are poised and waiting…
Portrait of the week: Stabbings in Southport, a £22bn ‘black hole’ and Tory leadership nominations
Home Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, said she had found a £21.9 billion hole, and a black one…
Netanyahu’s speech to Congress won’t achieve much
Nearly ten months after Israel’s worst day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made history far away in Washington DC when he…
Israel hits back at Houthi drone attack
Operation Long Arm, the code name for Israel’s counter-terror strikes in Yemen, sends a message almost as forceful as the…
Israel says it’s ready for another war
According to my phone, I’m in Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport. Except I’m not. The Israel Defence Forces have scrambled the…
We’re serviceless, stateless – and still off grid
You need a personal public service number to get married in Ireland, but in order to get one, you need…
Portrait of the week: gambling politicians, gender rows and a free Julian Assange
Home The Conservative party withdrew its support from two parliamentary candidates, Craig Williams (who was parliamentary private secretary to the…
Benjamin Netanyahu must decide what to do about Hezbollah
Tensions on Israel’s northern border are currently at their highest point since the outbreak of hostilities in October last year.…
Is Israel ready for war with Hezbollah?
Whenever the great Shakespearean actor Sir Donald Wolfit had to exit the stage during a performance, he would always take…
The trials and tribulations of getting a plumber
‘Please, I’ll do anything,’ I told the plumber. ‘I’ll give you all the money I have if you just come…
Why Biden’s Gaza ceasefire proposal failed
Ceasefire deals to end the war in Gaza have come and gone. President Biden’s unexpected announcement of the latest formula…
Netanyahu thinks he’s Churchill, Israelis see Chamberlain
Aleading member of Israel’s wartime cabinet has threatened to resign should Benjamin Netanyahu fail to present a strategy for ending…
Who is allowed to play Richard III?
On Tuesday night I was body double/understudy for the brave, brainy, beautiful Rachel Riley, at a packed ‘support Israel’ evening.…
Portrait of the Week: Farage returns, Abbott reselected and Trump guilty
Home Nigel Farage took over leadership of the Reform party from Richard Tice and is standing for parliament in Clacton.…
Will Netanyahu declare war on Hezbollah?
The war in Gaza is perceived internationally as a limited affair, pitting Israel against the Islamist Hamas organisation within the…
