Why Obama Is Standing By Israel

As most of the world has rushed to condemn Israel for its bungled seizure of a Turkish ferry that was attempting to break the Gaza blockade, President Obama has taken a different approach. Not only has he refused to condemn Israel's hard-nosed prime minister, Benyamin Netanyahu; he has cast the United States as Israel's only friend. It's a strategic gamble, and let's hope it works.

There's never a good time to botch a commando operation and kill civilian protesters. But this one came at a particularly sensitive time. Indirect peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians were about to begin; the U.N. Security Council was approaching a vote on tighter sanctions against Israel's adversary, Iran; Turkey, once Israel's best ally in the Muslim world, has been moving toward the Islamist camp.