Israel Preparing to Repeat the “Marmara” Scenario, Lebanon to Respond
20/06/2010 Lebanon is preparing to explain its position at the UN Security Council in response to Israeli threats to prevent ships that could sail from Lebanese ports in an attempt to break the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip, Al-Hayat newspaper reported on Sunday.
The paper quoted an unnamed source as saying that Lebanon will reject Israeli accusations, especially after the letter sent by Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gabriela Shalev on Friday to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Security Council members pointing to alleged links between the sponsors of a new Gaza-bound aid ship and Hezbollah.
This comes as some 50 Christian and Muslim Lebanese women as well as foreigners, who say they are not affiliated to any political party, are preparing to leave Lebanon on Sunday on board of the Lebanese aid ship Mariam. The first boat, Naji el-Ali, is set to leave Beirut with 25 European activists onboard, including parliament members and some 50 journalists, including humanitarian equipment. The ship, which will be loaded with medical supplies for cancer patients, would be the latest bid to break Israel's four-year blockade of the territory. Julia, which has been docking at Tripoli port for about two months, is one of two ships to be used by Lebanese, Arab and foreign activists to carry aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Al-Hayat newspaper also quoted an official Lebanese source as saying that an Israeli attack on Lebanese citizens aboard a Gaza-bound aid ship in international waters will amount to an aggression on Lebanon. “Lebanon will not stand idle if Israel attacks Lebanese and foreign civilians in international waters as it did with the Turkish ship a few weeks ago, even though Lebanon is not sponsoring [the new aid ship to Gaza],” the source said, referring to the Israeli attack on an aid flotilla in May that left nine Turks dead.
The source added that Lebanese laws do not prohibit civilians from sailing from its ports. However, the source said that preparations by Lebanese, Arab and foreign activists and journalists to sail from Lebanese ports carrying aid to Gaza have not yet reached their final stage.
