Israel Matzav

All dressed up with no place to go

The Lebanese 'aid ship' Mariam (formerly known as Julia), which has been trying for nearly two months to depart Lebanon for Gaza, hit another snag on Saturday. As predicted, Cyprus refused to allow the ship to land in one of its ports and depart from there to Gaza. Lebanon has already refused to allow the Mariam to sail directly to Gaza, because Israel would deem that an act of war and feel free to attack Lebanon. Now, the Hezbullah-backed ship is going to ask Greece for help.

The Mariam, a Lebanese vessel carrying women and journalists with an intended destination of Gaza has postponed its planned journey after Cyprus refused its request to pass through their waters, Army Radio reported on Saturday. The organizers issued a request to Greek authorities in an attempt to circumvent the restrictions.

Under Lebanese law the ship cannot travel directly to the Gaza Strip from Lebanon because Beirut is technically at war with Israel, forcing the vessel to pass through a third country before heading for the blockaded Palestinian territory.

UN Ambassador Gabriela Shalev said in letters Friday to the secretary-general and Security Council that Israel reserves the right under international law "to use all necessary means" to prevent the ship from sailing to Gaza to violate the naval blockade.

Shalev said a group of individuals "with suspected ties to the Hezbollah terrorist organization" announced that the vessel Miriam would depart from Tripoli on Sunday en route to Gaza.

Cyprus’s ambassador to Lebanon said that the vessel, the Mariam, would not be allowed to enter a Cypriot port.

“We decided that such a ship will not be allowed to enter Cyprus, and if such a Gazabound ship docks in a Cypriot port the crew and the passengers will be deported to their country of origin,” Kyriacos Kouros said.

Kouros said Cyprus has a “moral and legal responsibility” to those allowed into its waters, and that a blockade-busting ship could endanger lives and “regional peace and stability.”

Haaretz adds:

Cypriot police said on Friday the arrival and departure of ships to or from Gaza through Cyprus ports was prohibited, prompting the Lebanese transport minister to revoke permission for the ship to sail there, according to the organizers.

Ghazi Aridi told New TV on Friday the ship would not sail as long as Cypriot authorities have refused to receive it. He added Lebanon would not give permission for sail to an unknown party.

Spokeswoman for the Mariam, Rima Farah, said the trip was not cancelled indefinitely but that "it was stalled because we face a reality which imposes that".

Farah said there was not enough time between now and 10 p.m. on Sunday (1900 GMT), when Mariam was supposed to set sail, to go through the process of finding another port to sail from.

Lebanon does not authorise ships to sail directly to Gaza because it is in a formal state of war with Israel, which controls Gaza waters.

Cyprus was used as a launch pad for activists to reach Gaza by sea from 2008 until mid-2009. Authorities introduced a ban last year, citing the island's national interests.

Given that Prime Minister Netanyahu was just in Greece this past week, and that relations between Israel and Greece are warming, I would say that chances are slim that the Greeks will allow the Lebanese ship to sail from one of their ports. I'd bet on Turkey or no one.

By the way, by the time the ship sails the 'cancer medications' will surely have expired (if they exist at all) and you can bet that Hezbullah will try to blame Israel for that.

The Mavi Marmara is having a deterrent effect after all.

Heh.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:17 AM