Why has there been a “strong reaction” to the raid on the aid flotilla? It isn’t because Turkey is “moving decisively away from its longtime partnership with the United States,” and it isn’t even because the AKP government is bent on undermining the relationship with Israel. There has been a strong reaction because eight Turkish citizens were killed on a Turkish-flagged civilian ship in international waters by the armed forces of its ostensible ally while on a basically peaceful aid mission. Name me a government that would not have a strong reaction to such an episode.Unfortunately the answer is "The United States of America" who apparently doesn't give an official damn that one of its citizens was killed and has a bloodthirsty Congress waiting to see the survivors convicted as terrorists for daring to challenge Israel. I had no idea that failure to support Israel's self-destructive decisions being a federal crime was in fact the 28th Amendment to the US Constitution, but you learn something new every day.
Like I said, Larison's always a good read, but that question set me off. And technically, I guess wanting to prosecute the survivors is a "strong reaction". Larison's right, but it's still a moronic reaction on our parts.
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