Outside Israel and its circle of defenders, the Palmer report into the killing of nine Turks on the Mavi Marmara has been greeted by universal disbelief and criticism. Jeremy Salt of Bilkent University, Ankara, gives a particularly lucid account of the report’s blind spots and asssumptions

As a mark of the severity of the new crisis betwee Israel and Turkey, we post reports from seven sources, from the Wall Street Journal to Islam online. There is repetition of the facts but each has different material on Israel’s isolation, the previous centrality of the arms trade, the effects of the Turkish army’s loss of hegemony, and Erdogan’s desire for leadership of the Islamic Mediterranean

Why is Greece doing Israel’s will in seeking to sink the flotilla? Because with unusual diplomaic skill, Netanyahu has taken up Greece’s debt crisis and is forging a new Balkan alliance based on excluding Islamic Turkey. The article from Ha’aretz is followed by one from Yediot

In the face of the US veto at the Security Council last week, Jeff Halper argues that “the United States simply cannot deliver on a just peace in Israel/Palestine”, that even if Obama, Petraeus and the rest “understand that Israel’s occupation is unsustainable and only isolates the US in the international community”, they cannot deliver – because of the overwhelming support for Israel in both Houses: “Unlike other foreign policy issues, Israel has become a domestic American issue.”

The US should no longer be “seen as the sole and ultimate arbitrator of the conflict”: instead we and the Palestinians should be looking for ways of “Working around America”, with Latin America, Turkey, South Africa, Russia, all of which are making interesting noises about the conflict…

Last week Turkey made public its inquiry into the attack on the Gaza flotilla that resulted in the deaths of eight Turks and one American of Turkish origin. Tiny extract from the executive summary of the report: “The bodies of the deceased were completely washed and repatriated to Turkey without any accompanying medical and autopsy reports. The Mavi Marmara itself, when returned after being held for 66 days in Ashdod, had been scrubbed down thoroughly, blood stains completely washed off, bullet holes painted over; ship records, Captain’s log, computer hardware, ship documents seized, CCTV cameras smashed, all photographic footage seized and presumably destroyed or withheld.”
Plus: Richard Silverstein comments.

Paul Rogers writes: “Israel’s assault on a flagship attempting to break the blockade of Gaza has sparked international condemnation. Behind the crisis lie deeper shifts in world politics in which Turkey is playing a key part.” [...]

Patrick Seale writes: “Israel should reflect. Obama’s patience is not endless. Losing Turkey is one thing. To risk losing America is quite another.”