Jeremy Bowen writes powerfully and sensibly, as always (“The war that cannot be won”, 28 May). I only met Benjamin Netanyahu once over breakfast in Israel shortly before he became prime minister, and I took an instant dislike to him – bombastic, vain, and histrionic. As he faces serious criminal charges, the outside world must hope that Yair Lapid succeeds in building an alternative coalition government, however doubtful that looks. When I was a student in the late Fifties, many spent their vacations volunteering on a kibbutz, but no longer, as Israel has slipped from being a cause to assist. What I fail to understand is why Israelis cannot just settle for their comfortable life instead of supporting Netanyahu’s constant expansionist plans, which are the root cause of Palestinian anger and frustration, and which have led to a rise in despicable anti-Semitism around the world. The two-state solution should be pursued with more vigour and determination by our government and ot
The Skinny
Changing the culture: a new normal for the Fringe?
We catch up with Bilal Zafar, Eleanor Morton, Tom Mayhew, Chloe Petts and Sikisa about what the ‘new normal’ should be for future Edinburgh Fringe Festivals Feature by Yasmin Hackett | 07 Apr 2021
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is a sorely missed staple for many comics who look to build on, and in some cases establish their careers. It’s been off the cards since April 2020 but it feels, however tentatively, as though we could see its return this summer, even if it doesn’t look or feel quite the same.
Between Fringes comedians have been finding various ways to fill the time over the last year. Sikisa found her platform online. “I was quite lucky during lockdown as I had the opportunity to perform at some of the big online shows like