Until Monday evening, Benjamin Netanyahu’s election guru Arthur Finkelstein was reassuring the Prime Minister’s inner circle that he would be writing a congratulatory note to President Romney. While not a fatal miscalculation, Mr Netanyahu’s strong backing for the losing candidate in the US elections could cause him some trouble in the coming months.

The eight city tour by the Batsheva Ensemble is a a major target for the PSC and other BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) campaigners.

The Batsheva tour plays to some of the PSC’s strengths. They have a national network of semi-autonomous groups, and this gives them the chance to vent their spleen against Israel in their own regions.

Three months before Israel’s general elections, all the polls had the Likud becoming the largest party in the next Knesset and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a clear course to form the next coalition.

So why did Mr Netanyahu surprise even his closest cabinet colleagues last week by announcing that Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu would be running on a joint candidates’ list?

Why is it that a trade agreement that will facilitate the import of high-quality and affordable medicines into Europe is such a political hot potato? Because the trade agreement is with Israel.

Jonathan Cummings

Would President Mitt Romney be good news for Israel?