As with so many of the events that mark Israel’s history, the deadly attack on the Gaza flotilla in late May seemed frustratingly – and tragically – to encapsulate many of the arguments, insecurities, defences, and emotions that swirl around the enduring conflict in the Middle East.

At first, the result and immediate consequences of the confrontation aboard the Mavi Marmara appeared relatively straightforward. Israeli troops had killed nine pro-Palestinian activists, leading to a further decline in its reputation and to deeper international isolation, and relations with its closest ally in the Middle East, Turkey, were damaged beyond any foreseeable repair. But the event quickly become mired in the seemingly inevitable tug-of-war over facts, causes, perceptions and the competing claims to morality and justice in the Middle East.