It's a tactical decision that has many repercussions, many of them unknowable at the moment: who to expel from the Israel embassy?

This was not a decision taken lightly by the British but once that decision was made the next question was who?

There is no doubt that the name of Ambassador Ron Prosor would have been mentioned but to expel him would have been the nuclear option - the option that would have taken this from the realms of a ugly diplomatic spat into something altogether more serious....

The Mayor of Jerusalem doesn't give many interviews, but when he does he makes news. Nir Barkat is a self made multi millionaire whose fortune was built in the early 1990'S after he and a team of friends came up with one of the worlds first anti virus programmes for computers.

Then as now, his timing is impeccable....

Does $940 billion, plus 216 votes equal an American Presidency?

The $940 billion is the cost of the proposed reforms to America's health care system, 216 is the number of votes
required on Sunday to pass those reforms through the House of Representatives, and the Presidency is Obamas.

Win this one and he can get back on track, lose, and after an unsuccessful first year he will struggle to get his Presidency back on track....

What's in a name? When it comes to The Teamsters you get a lot of history, a range of views, and the opportunity to say things like, Mafia, concrete overcoat, and gambling.

The word Teamster is ingrained in the American mind. For some it evokes emotions of a strong Labour union which has stood up for justice and blue collar workers.For others it is seen as a corrupt organisation bent on making trouble for everyone and profit for its leaders....

Until the election of President Obama the above headline would not have had a question mark. It is now a legitimate question, but Israel appears slow to understand that it is being asked.

The issue has been brought into sharp focus by the humiliation of Vice President Joe Biden during his visit to Israel
last week which was intended to 're-set' relations after the dismal failure of the Obama administration in its first year.

With Biden in town, the Interior Minster Eli Yishai,...

While waiting for the next Israel/Hizbollah war here's a brief catch up on what Harold Macmillan called 'Events dear boy' , which in this globalized world now tend to be connected. A bit.

In Iraq, the election votes are trickling in. Prime Minister Maliki's 'State of Law' party has a slight lead, but it's going to be very tight and weeks of wrangling will be endured before a government is formed. The outcome will determine how many US troops can leave,...

You will remember the flurry of media coverage about Yemen following the pants attack on America on Christmas Day. Correspondents, myself included, brushed up on our 5 Yemeni facts, rushed off to the capital, Sana'a, and found a country in crisis.

The basic problems were, war in the north, a separatist movement in the south, and Queda infiltration mixed with
poverty and unemployment....

One of the worlds leading Islamic scholars, Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, has died of a heart attack whilst visiting
Saudi Arabia. He was 81.Tantawi was the head of al-Azhar university in Cairo and arguably Sunni Islam's most well known cleric.

He became a controversial figure during the last ten years when he took an increasingly liberal line on some of
the issues within Islam, notably on the veil.

Last year he issued a religious edict on the niqab, or full veil, that completely covers the face,...

With the first part of the Canaan Inq now over, I thought it was worth revisiting that amazing day of evidence by given a former leader who, when he felt the hand of history upon his legs, was able to walk across the Sea Of Reeds. Using all his powers he also managed to walk all over the inquiry into the invasion of Canaan and subsequent destruction of Jericho by the Israelites.

Herewith transcripts of the day from the Queen Esther II Conference Centre.

Chilcott: Good morning everyone,...

Sales of Mossad paraphernalia have gone up, as has the reputation of the agency, but is it getting enough credit?

If it was Mossad which killed the Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai, then you'd think that it needed to cover its tracks,
including the financial trail, in case it led back to HQ in Herzliya, Israel.

You might think that, but whoever carried out the hit might as well as have stamped 'Made In Israel' on Al-Mabhouh's forehead. There is still the possibility Mossad was framed,...