Through it all, the Israelis helped us turn a potential non-story into a media blitz that has not ended. The passengers are now returning home to the local public spotlight.

Bronner's piece is a tragic performance in the gap between the understanding that it grasps and the understanding that it manages to hold.

In a Democracy Now! interview before the U.S. ship "The Audacity of Hope" left a port in Greece, Consul General of Israel in New York Ido Aharoni defends the Israeli government's campaign against the flotilla.

Our cargo is not humanitarian aid, as some of the other ships are carrying, but thousands of letters from the U.S. people, letters of compassion, solidarity and hope written to people living in the Gaza Strip.