The ship cannot travel directly to Gaza from Lebanon because Beirut is still technically at war with Israel, forcing the vessel to pass through a third country — in this case, Cyprus — before heading for the blockaded Palestinian territory.
But on Thursday, the Cypriot ambassador to Lebanon told The Associated Press that the boat, the Miriam, will be turned back when it reaches Cyprus.
“We decided that such a ship will not be allowed to enter Cyprus and if such a Gaza-bound 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 along with “regional peace and stability.” But organizer Samar Al-Hajj was undeterred Thursday, and said ship, named after the Virgin Mary, will set out with between 50-75 female activists on a mission to deliver cancer medication, books and toys.
“We are not children who can be told to stay home,” Al-Hajj told The AP after a chaotic news conference outside the port in Tripoli, where security forces prevented the group from speaking to the media from the ship.
She could not say how much cargo the ship would carry, but said it would be a “symbolic” amount.
Al-Hajj said Lebanon’s president, prime minister and Parliament Speaker did not respond to her requests to meet, which appeared to signal the government’s lack of support for the venture.
The trip comes more than two months after Israeli naval commandos boarded a flotilla of Gaza-bound ships, killing nine pro-Palestinian Turkish activists.
The Israeli soldiers met unexpected resistance when they tried to prevent the Turkish ship from breaking the blockade on May 31. Israel says its troops opened fire after coming under attack by a mob of activists wielding clubs, axes and metal rods. The activists said they were defending their ship after it was attacked by Israeli soldiers in international waters.
The raid on the flotilla sparked an international outcry and forced Israel to ease its blockade of Hamas-ruled Gaza.
Israel, along with Egypt, imposed the embargo in June 2007 after Hamas took control of the area.
