Nicky Larkin walked lock-step with the Irish artsy Left in their hatred for Israel, and even went to the West Bank to film a documentary to challenge Israeli soldiers on their opposition to the PLO et al. But then the facts, and his conscience, got in the way of the plot. And now Nicky Larkin may be hater non grata with his old ideologues. His essay (“Israel is a refuge, but a refuge under siege”) in yesterday’s Independent is well worth the read.