Turning the tide

When the Incubator Theatre company was last due to perform in Edinburgh, three years ago, anti-Israel protesters forced the abandonment of its shows, with the venue and the police effectively caving in to mob rule.

Now there is a very different story to tell. Thanks to the efforts of the organisers of the Shalom Festival, Incubator are back and the motley crew of protesters this time round have had zero impact.

This newspaper has repeatedly pointed out that the demand that Israel and Israelis are boycotted is fundamentally antisemitic, singling out Jews for boycott alone in the world. That truth appears to be gaining widespread acceptance, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for the anti-Israel brigade to turn their own animus against the Jewish state into successful action. Shalom, Incubator! 

Israel's shame

The blunt truth is that the likely indictment of Benjamin Netanyahu shames Israel. It shames any nation when its leader is alleged to be corrupt; and it shames Israel that corruption is historically such a feature of its politics.

But for all that, it should be a source of some pride to Israelis that they live in a nation where no one is too mighty and too powerful to be subject to the law. The rule of law is the essence of democracy and in that context Israel always seeks to deal with criminality among its governing classes. There are many other nations on earth — not least most of its neighbours — that could learn from Israel’s example.