THE MORE ISRAEL LOSES THE MORE THE NEIGHBORS QUIET DOWN:

From the flotilla to peace talks (Ben Smith, 8/20/10, Politico)

There was also, however, an unexpected opportunity in the flotilla incident to make lemons out of lemonade. The subsequent international outcry led Israel — despite its public defense of its actions — to loosen a blockade that had been one of the chief Palestinian complaints and to simultaneously loosen restrictions in the West Bank. Those Israeli moves, meanwhile, gave Palestinian leaders — under their own domestic pressure to take a hard line — the opening to move toward peace talks, despite their earlier statements that they wouldn't come to the table without a more complete Israeli settlement freeze.