Israel's attack on a Gaza aid convoy that killed at least nine peace activists has sparked an international outcry, no less in Lebanon. The Lebanese blogosphere reacted sharply to news that its southern neighbour had violently stormed the Turkish aid convoy, the Mavi Marmara. As noted by the above caricature of popular blogger, Maya Zankoul, the Lebanese are largely outraged not only by Israel's actions, but international media attempts to justify it. Protesters took to the streets of Beirut to express their anger over the Israeli attack, and sympathies with the Palestinian and Turkish peoples. Courtesy of Mokhtar Joundi – Click image for full album of Beirut protest Blogger Lebanese Voices slammed Israel's disregard for international law and Tel Aviv's PR campaign to demonise the humanitarian aid mission: …israeli authorities have the liberty to ban, allow and confiscate any aid that is sent to Gaza at will, and announce that they are providing Gaza citizens with all the aid and supplies they need and therefore the freedom flotilla flight was an unnecessary stunt?! 40 Different nationalities aboard the ships, from Turkey, Greece and Ireland headed to Gaza, to the Gaza port (which israel says is under palestinian authority control) to provide these citizens with toys for their children, wheel chairs for the thousands cripples by israel’s continuous raids, medicine for those few survivors, flour, and other Survival needs! Out of these 40 nationalities are a parade of countries: Irish, Australian, French, South African, Greek, American, German, Turkish, besides arab nationals, and many more. Are all these brave souls mistaken in their aid call?! if they had solid facts that the aid needed was reaching Gaza they wouldn’t have worked night and day for months to collect the necessary aid, put their lives at risk to do what seems like a true moral call? Lebanese Voices made the point that Gazan waters are not in fact Israeli waters, as Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005 and illegally maintains control over Gaza's waters. Israel had, thus, no right to intercept the aid flotilla: Yet Israeli Authorities gave itself the right to violate International Law and Protocol and attack the Flotilla flight while amidst International Waters (clear violation of international law) and Israeli MP declares that it has that right (because its above such laws) because the ships were heading to their waters. But the Flotilla wasn’t! it was heading into a harbor in Gaza, allegedly free from Israeli control. The Fleet was welcomed with Israeli’s Defense Forces gunfire aiming right at their passengers and helicopters that rained squads to ship boards, and yet found it excusable to call the defense of these passengers as “terrorism” with sticks! The Fleets were Searched thoroughly at their departure points, no weapons existed on them, and no weapons were found when they were dragged to Gaza’s shore other than those the IDF held to their heads! (Iraq war much?!) Members of the ship were detained and investigated immediately on arrival! Rami Zurayk of Land and People went to the heart of the issue by highlighting the core dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For Zurayk, the Palestinians have the right to enter their lands dispossessed from them through “colonisation and apartheid”: The problem is Zionism and the usurpation of land and the replacement of a people by another people: colonialization and apartheid. Whether in international water or out, Palestinians have the rights to enter their country. The problem is not that the attack happened in international waters, the problem is Israel and the fact that it is allowed to attack. What if it was in Palestinian waters? Would it be OK? Zurayk also doubts whether an international outcry would have surfaced were the dead not foreigners, but Palestinians struggling to liberate their lands: I have also received emails from everywhere calling for demonstrations of solidarity. Of course this is excellent and it is a show of support for the cause and an indication of the waning of Israeli influence. But I believe this would not have happened if this was not a humanitarian convoy, and if there were no foreigners among the dead and wounded. If this were Palestinians fighting to liberate Gaza, people would have probably blamed them for their own death. I am starting to worry that the struggle will get locked into a Ghandian logic, and this has always been a demand of the West and of the local “lovers of life-on our knees” who repeatedly ask for armed resistance to be dismantled. This is how we become a charity case rather than a liberation movement. But for now, lets keep the pressure on the Zionists up to lift the siege on Gaza.