RACIST Israelis are actually having problem with the 1st Black US president.
Their attack on the international aid flotilla is deliberate gesture to create trouble and conduct bullies. :oIo:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gtowfFjiFD4HYdHuYgxydKNwVRDwD9G2B3880
Analysis: Israeli raid may hurt US Mideast plans
By MATTHEW LEE and KARIN LAUB (AP) – 39 minutes ago
WASHINGTON — One of the casualties of Israel's deadly commando raid on a Turkish vessel carrying aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip may be the Obama administration's diplomatic strategy in the Mideast.
Whatever the truth of the incident, the Obama administration finds itself caught between Israel and its critics at a time when the U.S. is trying to push a broad agenda aimed at bringing stability to the troubled region.
But the bloodshed could threaten U.S. hopes to rally support for punishing Iran over its suspect nuclear program, efforts to rein in Iranian and Syrian support for the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah, and the struggle to get the Mideast peace talks back on track.
At least nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed in Monday's assault on the Turkish ship leading a convoy bringing aid to Gaza. The action drew widespread international condemnation and once again tested the limits of U.S. support for the Jewish state.
Mindful of the potential fallout, the White House reacted cautiously, calling for the disclosure of the full facts of the raid, which the activists portrayed as an unprovoked assault by armed commandos on peaceful demonstrators.
The Israelis say their forces were caught off guard by protesters wielding sticks, slingshots and metal rods, and acted in self defense.
While Israel had hoped to defend its blockade of Hamas-ruled Gaza with Monday's high-seas raid, it may have speeded the embargo's end, judging by initial expressions of international outrage.
The pre-dawn commando operation on the Mediterranean also seemed certain to strengthen Gaza's Islamic militant Hamas rulers at the expense of U.S. allies in the region, key among them Hamas' main rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as Egypt and Jordan.
"The attack on a humanitarian mission ... will only further alienate the international community and isolate Israel while granting added legitimacy to Hamas' claim to represent the plight of the Palestinian people," said Scott Atran, an analyst at the University of Michigan.
The botched raid raised new questions about one of the pillars of U.S. policy — that Hamas can be left unattended as Washington tries to broker a peace deal between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The raid tested U.S.-Israeli ties that have not yet fully recovered from their most serious dispute in decades, triggered by Israeli construction plans in disputed east Jerusalem.
The crisis could also aggravate divisions between the U.S. and its NATO ally, Turkey. As a member of the U.N. Security Council, Turkey is in a position to help or hinder U.S.-led efforts to impose new sanctions against Iran's secretive drive to enrich uranium. Along with Brazil, Turkey has been trying to avert fresh penalties on Iran by brokering a confidence-building agreement with Tehran but the United States and its European allies have rejected it.
The interception of the six-boat flotilla carrying 10,000 tons of supplies for Gaza trained the global spotlight on the blockade. Israel and Egypt sealed Gaza's borders after Hamas overran the territory in 2007, wresting control from Abbas-loyal forces.
The blockade, under which Israel allows in only essential humanitarian supplies, was intended to squeeze the militants. But it has failed to dislodge Hamas, has driven ordinary Gazans deeper into poverty and has emerged as a constant source of friction and instability.
European diplomats on Monday demanded a swift end to the border closure. The U.S. has called for an easing of conditions in Gaza while recognizing Israel's concern about the flow of arms into the territory.
"We support expanding the flow of goods to the people of Gaza. But this must be done in a spirit of cooperation, not confrontation," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said.
Netanyahu canceled a scheduled Tuesday meeting with President Barack Obama in Washington to return home to deal with the fallout from the raid. It wasn't clear whether a visit here next week by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would go ahead as scheduled.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who spoke by phone Monday with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, plans to meet on Tuesday with Turkey's foreign minister for talks that had been expected to focus on Iran, but will now likely concentrate on Israel and the Palestinians.
Meanwhile, the fate of U.S.-led indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians was uncertain. Abbas temporarily walked away from the negotiations in March after Israel announced more housing for Jews in traditionally Arab east Jerusalem.
The Palestinian leader on Monday denounced Israel's actions as a "sinful massacre" and met with aides to decide on his next move. Public outrage at home might force Abbas to quit the talks.
In a 15-minute phone call with Netanyahu, who was traveling in Canada, Obama "expressed the importance of learning all the facts and circumstances around this morning's tragic events as soon as possible," the White House said in a statement.
U.S. officials said they expected Israel to conduct a full investigation. Statements from the State Department and the "Quartet" of Mideast peacemakers — the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations — were expected to make a similar call for a thorough account of the raid, the officials said.
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EDITOR'S NOTE _ Matthew Lee covers diplomacy and U.S. foreign policy for The Associated Press. Karin Laub has covered the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 1987. Laub reported from Jerusalem.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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