Source: Hillary asking foreign leaders to `dial down' criticism of Israel
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been privately asking foreign leaders to "dial down" criticism of Israel until all the facts of the flotilla attack are known, according to a source who personally discussed the matter with her.

"She says she's been working the phones for last 24 hours trying to get people to cool off a little bit, to see what the facts are," the source tells me, adding that she said she was trying to "dial down some of the rhetoric of the inernational community."

"It's difficult," the source adds. "She says people are furious."

Such calls are not unexpected, but they provide a glimpse into how awkward a position the U.S. knows it's in now that global criticism of Israel's attack is mounting, since it's coming at a moment when the Obama administration was hoping to do a "kiss and make up" session with Netanyahu.

Also: The calls are a sign that the administration may be directly helping Israel by trying to lend a hand damping down the global outcry.

UPDATE, 2:22 p.m.: State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley confirms that Secretary Clinton did meet this morning with the foreign minister of Turkey to discuss yesterday's incident.

"We certainly support an impartial investiation of what happened," Crowley tells me. "The Secretary and others within the government are encouraging everyone to ascertain more facts first and then determine the appropriate course of action."


By Greg Sargent | June 1, 2010; 2:09 PM ET
Categories: Foreign policy and national security