Chris Doyle

In the first week of office, any new British prime minister receives a barrage of proposals and policies from every conceivable angle. This arguably is even worse when the new leader is not elected, and is less tied to manifesto commitments.

Damascus is different from many Syrian cities in that its core was not directly hit by the war. This was not a revolutionary city. The Assad regime kept the capital under strict lock and key.

Do you know anyone who seriously imagined that Israel’s onslaught in Gaza that recommenced on Oct. 7, 2023, would last 1,000 days? That was yet another grim milestone passed last week and the carnage continues unabated. No doubt the three-year anniversary will pass this October.

Back in September 2012, I took Andy Burnham on a parliamentary delegation to the West Bank. It was his first proper visit there. Like most politicians on their first such trip, he was visibly shocked.

One leader must be tamed for the US-Iran deal to progress beyond the foothills of the shaky 60-day ceasefire. One leader needs to suffer from the sort of political bullying that he himself has specialized in for decades. This is, of course, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister.

For decades, one of the most blatant contradictions in European foreign policy has been over Israeli settlements. Every European government considers these settlements to be illegal and an obstacle to peace. They claim to oppose them.