President Barack Obama’s high-profile, 48-hour visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority last week appeared to end on a low-key note.

The Triumph of Israel’s Radical Right
By Ami Pedahzur
Oxford University Press, £18.99

In 1969, 32 per cent of the Israeli electorate voted for the centre right and its allies. Forty years later, this had increased to more than 52 per cent, securing the premiership for Netanyahu. Israeli academic Ami Pedahzur tells the story of this remarkable transition.

This week’s goings on at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) mark yet another dismal episode in a seemingly endless series. What is, to a significant extent, a rogues’ gallery of murderous and corrupt regimes, congregated to “discuss” a report excoriating Israel and demanding an immediate withdrawal from the West Bank.

Cherie Blair spoke about the importance of women’s empowerment at an event hosted by the Israeli Business Club (IBC) last week.

In honour of International Women’s Week, the IBC hosted its first event for Israeli women living in the UK, giving them the opportunity to network and promote their businesses from social media to make-up artistry.

Five years ago, Shlomo Sand published one of the most contentious Jewish books of recent times. In The Invention of the Jewish People, which appeared in English translation in 2009, the Tel Aviv University history professor debunked the idea of Jewish peoplehood.

last-minute itinerary changes have played havoc with Israeli preparations for President Barack Obama’s planned 48-hour trip to the Holy Land from March 20-21.

Before the election of Argentinian Pope Francis I on Wednesday night, there had been speculation that Mr Obama might have had to interrupt his visit and attend the installation ceremony if an American pontiff had been chosen.