Dateline Jerusalem, By Eric Silver

From the Six Day War of 1967 until his death in 2008, Eric Silver (of The Independent) wrote with panache and authority about life in Israel.

From his home on the Street of the Prophets in Jerusalem, he roamed between the big political picture and the striking details of ordinary existence in an extraordinary city. This harvest of his pieces recalls the style, sympathy and judgment he brought to each assignment.

Inevitably, the cumulative impact adds up to a chronicle of pride, prejudice and folly, with chance after chance for peace fumbled on every side. Yet those stubborn "facts on the ground" – the despair of diplomats – supply him with memorable scenes of Jewish and Arab life in a resilient place with a "short trauma span".