“Israel is a terrorist state that committed an act of piracy that killed nine innocent people on a ship in international waters. And we’re here today to say to the Harper government: Stop your uncritical support of Israel, no matter what they do.”

Rafeef Ziadah stood on the back of a pickup truck across the street from the Israeli Consulate addressing a crowd of over 1,000 protesters.

“It’s completely lunatic and pathetic to say that Israel should investigate itself,” she said. “That’s just hypocrisy and we won’t stand for it.”

TORONTO - Sandra Ruch fell asleep around 11 pm Sunday evening, confident that the Gaza Freedom Flotilla was going to sit still in international waters before making a move Monday to deliver desperately needed aid and supplies to Gaza.

The impoverished Palestinian territory is still reeling under a 3-year-old blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt.

Fifteen minutes later, she received a text message from a colleague saying the flotilla of three cargo ships and three passenger ships that were carrying 10,000 tons of aid and 700 activists had been attacked, killing some activists while wounding others.