Today's discussion point: Israel's raid on a Turkish flotilla bound for Gaza has sparked a diplomatic firestorm. Commandos boarded the boat, which was loaded with aid and activists trying to breach the Gaza blockade. Nine were killed and another 30 injured (according to ABC). Israeli commandos are still holding hundreds of activists, while Turkey may be planning to send another flotilla--escorted by the Turkish navy!
Turkey's Prime Minister has called the incident "a massacre," while Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu claims "Our soldiers had to defend themselves, defend their lives, or they would have been killed." Jonathan Schanzer notes that the flotilla's sponsor is an officially-designated terrorist organization.
Was Israel in the right boarding the ship? If they were, is the ongoing backlash worth the benefit of stopping the flotilla from reaching Gaza? What should the US's response be in light of the fact that Turkey is a NATO country and Israel is not? Are we obligated to support the fomer under Article V?
