Contrary to conventional wisdom in Washington, Turkey's prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not interested in preserving his country's relationship with Israel, but is determined to bolster Turkey's standing in the Arab and Muslim world's at Israel's expense.

Though critics continue to unfairly condemn Israel for the Gaza blockade, which forms a necessary barrier between Israel’s enemies and those who would help arm them, now is a terrible time to consider abandoning the blockade.

The Obama administration's treatment of the Gaza blockade issue has reflected an unwillingness to defend hard-pressed U.S. interests around the world and the harm caused by this weakness will reach far beyond the Middle East.

While it is indisputable that the "flotilla fiasco" was a public-relations disaster for Israel, the presumption in the global media has always been that Israel is the villain regardless of the facts.

While Israel's handling of the fake freedom-fighting flotilla was a disaster, Israel has the legal right to ensure that shipments to Gaza do not contain arms, and the obligation to do so to protect its citizens.