Does Israel need friends?

“It’s unfortunate that the Brits decided to do this but it’s not the end of the world…” so says blogger Israel Matzav. But this writer reckons Britain has dealt a serious blow to Israel’s arrogance.

Is Israel’s lobby in the US too powerful?

Eyeball to eyeball?

Hi, Dan Damon here. I present World Update.

The longstanding friendship between Israel and the United States is under strain.  Last week, Israel’s ambassador to the US said relations were at a 35 year low.

On air: Has America lost its power over Israel?

US Vice President Joe Biden’s trying to recover from the embarrassment of arriving in Israel on a peace mission, to be greeted by an announcement of 1,600 new homes being built in disputed East Jerusalem. So is the US now ignored by Israel? A once strong force that has lost its influence? Or has Israel always done what it wants, regardless of outside pressure? This is how the visit is playing in Israeli and Palestinian newspapers.

On air: Is suicide bombing an offence to Islam?

A prominent Muslim scholar Dr Tahir ul-Qadri is issuing a fatwa on suicide bombing and terrorism. In his 600-page religious ruling Dr. ul-Qadri states that Islam forbids the massacre of innocent citizens and suicide bombings.

Should you be held responsible for actions of your family?

New York Times Jerusalem bureau chief, Ethan Bronner, is in the eye of a ‘mini-blog storm’ as this blogger has put it.

His 20 year old son has signed up to the Israeli Defence Force, and this has led to some people calling for Bronner to be reassigned.

Can Israel’s Gaza blockade be justified?

Aid agencies have released a report criticising the world for not doing more to stop the Israeli blockade of Gaza. It’s been picked up around the world by bloggers and mainstream media. All of this rests of course on the belief that the blockade is a ‘collective punishment’ that is unwarranted. Would you agree with that? And would you want more pressure applied to Israel to end it?

On air: Should Israelis and Palestinians be left to make their own peace?

The Palestinian leadership “wants a deal with Israel without any negotiations” and Israel’s leadership “wants negotiations with the Palestinians without any deal.”

And given the latest offer by the Israeli government and the negative response it had from the Palestinian authority, it looks like neither negotiations nor any deal are on the table at the moment.

The Israeli government has offered to stop settlement building in the West Bank for 10 months. But the Palestinian authority is not impressed and officials say that this is nothing new and unless it involves East Jerusalem it was unacceptable.

On air: Do we need new rules of war?

The Israeli Prime Minister is calling for a new set of rules of war to fight global terrorism. Mr Netanyahu also wants other western countries committed to the war on terror to be part of an international coalition of nations that have laws protecting their right to defend their countries and their people.

Should children in Gaza learn about the Holocaust?

“No human-rights curriculum is complete without the inclusion of the facts of the Holocaust, and its lessons.” This is what John Ging, the UN Relief and Works Agency’s (UNRWA) director of operations in Gaza,says. The UN’s refugee agency is planning to include the Holocaust in a new human-rights curriculum for Gaza’s secondary-school pupils.

On air: Is President Obama letting his supporters down?

The majority of Americans wanted him as President, and the majority of the world wanted him to win too. When I was in Washington for the Inauguration, people wore t-shirts reading ‘Our moment is now’. But is the President making the most of that moment? He always emphasised to his supporters that they had a part to play, but while the right in the States makes its opposition very well known, are his advocates backing him as effectively and passionately as they might? Put simply, reverse the question – are Pres Obama’s supporters letting him down?

I heard a fascinating contribution from John Simpson, the BBC’s World Affairs editor, on the Today programme on Saturday. See if you agree with his analysis…