Flotilla fallout: Does it matter that an American died?

One of the nine activists killed on the humanitarian aid flotilla raided by Israeli commandos over the weekend was an American-Turkish dual citizen, it is now being reported. Furkan Dogan, 19, was shot five times at close range — four times in the head — as Israeli troops stormed the boat to prevent it from violating the three-year blockade on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The U.S.'s reaction to last weekend's events has so far been muted. Will the death of an American citizen change that situation? (Watch a Russia Today report about the American's death)

This terrorist sympathizer was no American: Can we even call Dogan an American?, asks Cassy Fiano at Hot Air He left the U.S. at the age of two, and "allegedly never returned." That makes him "technically a citizen," but not a "legitimate part of our country." And anyway, this wasn't just some "innocent high school student," but a dangerous Islamist. "American or not, if you pal around with terrorists, then you deserve to die like one."

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America must react to the death of one of its citizens: Even though Dogan's "ongoing American ties appear to be limited," says Scott Peterson at the Christian Science Monitor, his death will "make it harder for the Obama administration to side-step a diplomatic confrontation with Israel." When U.S. citizens have died in Israel before — such as American activist Rachel Corrie — the federal government has reacted strongly. It must do the same here.

"Israeli raid on Gaza Freedom Flotilla killed U.S. citizen Furkan Dogan

This will change nothing: Governments typically "object vociferously when their citizens are killed by foreign nations," says Glenn Greenwald at Salon. That principle will no doubt be "completely discarded" in this case. "Reflexive U.S. support for Israel" is now so strong that "one dead 19-year-old American with 4 bullet holes in his head" won't make any impact at all.

"The Israeli flotilla attack: victimhood, aggression and tribalism"