WASHINGTON — The death of a 19-year-old man with dual U.S.- Turkish citizenship in the Israeli raid on an aid flotilla complicates the Obama administration’s attempts to remain neutral in the crisis.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the victim was Furkan Dogan and that U.S. authorities in Turkey had met with Dogan’s father to express condolences and to offer U.S. consular services. She added that two other American citizens had been injured — one in the raid and the other during a subsequent protest — and the U.S. was seeking information about all three from Israel.
“Protecting the welfare of American citizens is a fundamental responsibility of our government and one that we take very seriously,” she said. “We are in constant contact with the Israeli government attempting to obtain more information about our citizens.”
A broader problem for the Obama administration is what to do about the Israeli blockade of Gaza.
“We are evaluating ways of expanding the flow of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza while protecting Israel’s legitimate security interests,” Clinton said. The Associated Press
