As of this morning, reports indicate that somewhere between 10 and 19 people were killed when Israeli commandos stormed a Turkish-owned ship of an aid flotilla that was approaching Gaza. The flotilla was organised by activists who wished to draw attention to the blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt after Hamas militants took control of the Gaza strip in 2007. According to the Israelis, upon boarding the ship they were attacked by activists who had armed themselves with “switchblade, slingshots, metal balls and metal bats”, and one of the activists even seized a soldier’s weapon and opened fire. Nevertheless, the boarding took place in international waters and has been roundly condemned by the international community. Turkey has withdrawn its ambassador for the second time in only a few months and it looks as if the once-cordial Israeli-Turkey relations have finally come to an end. Turkey’s strategy from here will likely be to attempt to ramp up international pressure on Israel in order to get them to drop the blockade against Gaza. There is talk that they may also try and take the incident to the International Court. Continue Reading