AP Photo

The strongest, most strident response to Israel's flotilla raid came from Turkey, home to most of the dead activists. But Turkey's official response could have been much worse, and its leaders have been further calmed by Washington.

Publicly, Turkey's anger continues, as vehemently as ever, over the Israeli raid on a largely Turkish humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza. But behind the scenes, the White House has actually had some success in its efforts to save Turkey's relations with Israel from complete breakdown. President Barack Obama spoke with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for nearly an hour by phone on Tuesday to express "his deep condolences for the loss of life and injuries" and promised that the U.S. would back calls for an "impartial inquiry" as...