“The ground has been lost and all we are doing is surviving,” Capt Docherty said. “It’s completely barking mad.”

Tension is rising on Turkey’s border with Iraq amid speculation Ankara may be about to launch an incursion to tackle Kurdish rebels.

Looking back, it is strange how many years it has taken the liberals among us to understand that Israeli democracy needs safeguards – not against organizations trying to bring it down, or a political structure that can undermine it, or a too-powerful internal force that draws strength from the lack …