injuries

It could almost make you cry.

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's seemingly limitless concern for the oppressed and downtrodden has been in high gear of late - and he's mobilized his country's diplomats to echo his anguish. But wait, that empathy is reserved solely for the people of Gaza.

Originally published on The Hill

When several years ago I first met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and had the pleasure to have two private conversations with him, he immediately struck me as the ultimate "purple" leader. As the Washington Post wrote recently, "Erdogan's Justice and Development Party has religious roots, but it also draws conservative entrepreneurs and liberals with its free-market policies."

As I read the myriad of reactions to the Gaza Freedom Flotilla tragedy last Sunday, I'm struck by one recurring theme: the sense of astonishment these activists responded to the Israeli Navy with violence.

In other words, they didn't respond according to the script. They didn't behave like proper practitioners of civil disobedience. The implication: if they had responded like the non-violent activists they purported to be, this whole tragedy could well have been avoided.

Based on numerous reports from various parties, my conclusion is that the IDF raid on the Mavi Marmara was a tactical failure of the first order. In their partial defense, there had been no violence on any of the previously boarded vessels. On the other hand, the manner in which the last vessel was boarded (as I understand it at present) suggests that they were expecting trouble.

This time Israel's government has gone too far. The storming of a civilian flotilla carrying 700 humanitarian activists and 10,000 tons of aid, in international waters, at night and in the dark, is reprehensible. It was no secret to anyone that this effort was underway. The organizers made it abundantly clear what the mission would be. It has been in the news for weeks.

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Pro-Palestinian activists sent another boat to challenge Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday and Egypt declared it was temporarily opening a crossing into the Palestinian territory after a raid on an aid flotilla that ended with Israeli soldiers killing nine activists.

The raid provoked ferocious international condemnation of Israel, raised questions at home, and appeared likely to increase pressure to end the blockade that has deepened the poverty of the 1.5 million Palestinians in the strip.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The U.N. Security Council called early Tuesday for an "impartial" investigation of Israel's deadly commando raid on ships taking humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and condemned the "acts" that resulted in the loss of at least nine lives.

After an emergency meeting and marathon negotiations that lasted nearly 12 hours, the 15 council members finally agreed on a presidential statement. It was weaker than what was initially demanded by the Palestinians, Arabs and Turkey because of objections by the United States, Israel's closest ally.

An old high school friend, who's taken great exception to a couple of my most recent Jerusalem Post columns, has been telling me of late on my Facebook page how out of touch with American Jewry I am. He let loose again today. Here's what he had to say:

The complaints leveled against Israel by European countries and Australia, regarding the alleged misuse of passports by the Mossad in the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, ring hollow and smack of blatant hypocrisy. Whoever did kill Mahmoud al-Mabhouh--whether it was the Israeli Mossad or someone else--clearly did have their agents use stolen or forged passports. Big deal.