The same month that the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Israel as 136th (out of 140 countries) in the World Peace Index, President Bush lavished praise on the rogue state in his address to the Knesset. The Gulf news reported that gob-smacked Israeli law makers were pleasantly shocked by the speech which included: “You have forged a free and modern society based on the love of liberty, a passion for justice, and a respect for human dignity” and “You have worked tirelessly for peace”. Overlooking the usurping of land, bombing neighbours, …

On the sixtieth anniversary of the coming into being of the state of Israel, Israel‘s many supporters are celebrating what they see as a great achievement. For them Israel has been a culmination of a dream created from amongst the ashes of Auschwitz, from the grotesque anti-Semitism of not just Germany but the whole of Europe, a state that against all odds has survived in one piece despite being surrounded by hostile enemies. The proponents of Israel believe it is a democracy and therefore should be treated as a nation …