Hypocrisy rules: one rule for our friends, another for our perceived enemies‏

At the Munich security conference on Sunday, 8 February, UK foreign secretary Philip Hammond asserted: "This man (Russia's President Putin)  has sent troops across an international border and occupied another country's territory in the 21st century acting like some mid-20th century tyrant. Civilised nations do not behave like that. We do not see any reason to tolerate this kind of outrageous and outdated behaviour from the Kremlin."

Last summer, Israel sent troops, tanks, war planes, military ships and precision guided missiles and shells across its international border with the Palestinian territory of Gaza, killing over 2,500 civilians, including hundreds of children.

Mr Hamond justified that invasion by asserting Israel had the right to defend itself.

Although the situations are geopolitically different, the principle against invasion ought to be the same:  but it seems there is one rule for our Government's friends, whom we support despite the moral dubiety of their bellicose actions, and another  for our enemies, whom our Government excoriate. It is called hypocrisy.