Is the Libyan Ship Headed To Gaza or Egypt? Will This Be Flotilla 2?

There are conflicting reports out about whether a Libyan-leased ship loaded with aid for Gazans will actually try to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza or if it has been directed to land at an Egyptian port.

From the story at Israel National News:

A Libyan-leased ship called Amalthea, reportedly carrying 2,000 tons of aid for Gaza, has set sail from Greece – but there are conflicting reports on its destination.
The ship left the Lavrio Port in southeastern Greece Saturday. According to some reports, Israeli diplomatic efforts have succeeded in causing the ship to set its route to El Arish, on the Sinai coast, instead of Gaza.

The Foreign Ministry assessed that the ship, which flies a Moldovan flag, would not attempt to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.
However, Al-Jazeera's reporter on the ship said that the captain of the ship, a Cuban national, confirmed shortly before leaving that he planned to head for Gaza.

First off... a Cuban national is captaining the ship??!!! This just shows what a circus this all has become - you've got every fuckin' nut case in the world trying to jump on a boat in the Meditteranean to set sail for Gaza. It's my contention, that 95% of the people trying to commandeer one of these flotillas to Gaza, when they actually got there, would be begging the world to get their sorry asses out of tha god-forsaken hell hole and away from the creeps that live there.

As for this latest flotilla, I gotta believe this is a false alarm - I think the ship will end up in Egypt but if this Cuban captain did want to just give it a shot ... I'm guessing that a couple of warning shots from an Israeli naval ship would have this guy turning tail and running for it, but quick.

Libyan Ship Sets Sail from Greece – but is It Headed for Gaza?


A Libyan-leased ship called Amalthea, reportedly carrying 2,000 tons of aid for Gaza, has set sail from Greece – but there are conflicting reports on its destination.

The ship left the Lavrio Port in southeastern Greece Saturday. According to some reports, Israeli diplomatic efforts have succeeded in causing the ship to set its route to El Arish, on the Sinai coast, instead of Gaza.

Over the weekend, Defense Minister Ehud Barak spoke with Egyptian Intelligence Minister Omar Suleiman about the ship, and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman spoke to the foreign ministers of Greece and Moldova. The Foreign Ministry assessed that the ship, which flies a Moldovan flag, would not attempt to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

However, Al-Jazeera's reporter on the ship said that the captain of the ship, a Cuban national, confirmed shortly before leaving that he planned to head for Gaza.

The captain's statement “would contradict a statement from the Israeli foreign ministry, which claims to have reached an agreement with Greece and Moldova to have the ship diverted to Egypt,” Al Jazeera reported. “However," it added, "the ship is the private property of a Moldovan owner, so it was not clear what impact the two European governments could have.”

Bethlehem-based Ma'an news agency quoted Hamas operative Jamal Al-Khoudari and Arab Knesset member Ahmed Tibi as saying the ship was still headed for Gaza. The ship, renamed Al-Amal by its Arab leasers, is expected to take about three days to reach port.

Israel maintains a naval blockade of Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas, a terror organization that fires missiles at Israeli communities. Israel has explained that if ships are allowed to reach Gaza, they will be used for transporting arms to the terror regime. However, anti-Israeli forces use world media to portray the Israeli blockade as cruel and arbitrary and send "humanitarian aid" ships to Gaza to pressure Israel to lift the closure.

The last time this happened, Israeli elite forces rappelled onto the ship's deck, only to be brutally attacked by people who had presented themselves as "peace activists." The soldiers fired to defend their lives and killed nine people.
(IsraelNationalNews.com)