The Gaza flotilla clash -- the larger context

I've hardly been on the net for the last couple of days, but luckily Green Eagle has been keeping an eye on this story. Here's the historical reality behind Helen Thomas's anti-Semitic remarks, a look at the Hamas charter to remind us of the nature of what Israel is being expected to negotiate with, and a roundup of disturbing commentary from some of our fellow leftists.

From other sources, here are overviews of the clash from The New Republic and The Daily Beast, Oliver Willis on excuse-making for Helen Thomas, and the reaction of the American people: by an overwhelming margin Americans blame the flotilla "activists", not Israel, for the deaths.