As in their invasion of Gaza a year and a half ago, and previous conflicts, Israeli forces are provoked. There can be no doubt that as they landed on the Mavi Marmara, the Turkish flagship of the activist flotilla, their commandoes were met by a mob carrying sticks, if not knives and guns, as their military spokeswoman claimed.

But their reaction, as before, will be hard for many but their most devoted backers to view as proportionate. Their troops used the unwavering force for which they have become celebrated at home, admired in some other militaries and condemned almost everywhere else. Six of their men were wounded, one seriously, but at least ten, and possibly as many as 16 of their opponents died.

The Israeli spokeswoman, Avital Liebovitch, told the scores of reporters who had gathered at Ashdod, the Israeli port to which the impounded ships were being sailed, that the protesters were out to "lynch" the boarding party. She claimed that little else could be expected from a bunch of supporters of Hamas, words that will be popular among many Israelis but will almost certainly be used against them. Those "Hamas supporters" include activists from round the world, including politicians and academics from Israeli allies.

One is Mairead Corrigan Maguire, founder of the Northern Ireland "peace people", awarded a Nobel Prize in 1976. How successfully Israel defends itself today will now be of crucial importance, including to its own future. Its relations with President Barack Obama are aleady rocky, but the administration this month finally managed to persuade both Israelis and Palestinians back to "proximity talks".

Mr Netanyahu was rewarded with a fresh invitation to the White House, after his last visit ended in a personal snub by the president, who left him alone while he went off to dine with "Michelle and the kids". A key stage of those proximity talks may once again have been sabotaged by Israeli action, as it was when a visit to Israel by Vice-President Joseph Biden was overshadowed by a new announcement on settlement building in March.

Mr Netanyahu will once again have to explain how this has happened - and give assurances of Israeli sincerity. He is in the right place: the White House visit was due to take place tomorrow. Assuming it goes ahead, it will be interesting to see if he maintains his usual self-confident posture. Source...

What do you expect of this so called "peace flotilla" Not that it comes as any surprise. Israel's] Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon criticized the 'Freedom Flotilla' headed for Gaza on Sunday, saying the anti-Semitic chants voiced by the activists on board earlier in the day showed the "real motivation" for the campaign, which he termed an "armada of hate." In the morning, participants on the flotilla were recorded shouting "Khaybar Khaybar ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad saya'ud", which means 'Jews, remember Khyabar, the army of Mohammed is returning.'This cry relates to an event in the seventh century when Muslims massacred and expelled Jews from the town of Khaybar, in modern-day Saudi Arabia. Source

The Turkish foreign minister, in Venezuela, was calling the United Nations Security Council to an emergency meeting, Arinc said. "This operation will leave a bloody stain on the history of humanity," Arinc said. That is rich coming from the Turks, whose hands are stained with the blood of millions of Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks. Until today the hypocritical Turks do not admit conducting tha Genocide.