Soon after Lebanese sources told Haaretz that preparations for a planned flotilla to break the Gaza blockade were not yet finalized, the country's transportation minister, Ghazi al-Aridi, said late Sunday that he received a formal request for one ship to set sail and denied the existence of a second ship thought to be part of the campaign.
According to Aridi, organizers of the ship known as the Julia formally requested permission to set sail, but he added the ship would sail toward Cyprus and not Gaza, as he cannot authorize actions that contradict Lebanese law.
Lebanese law requires every ship leaving the country's ports to obtain official permission. Lebanese law also forbids sailing to ports under Israeli control - including Gaza, which it categorizes as under Israeli occupation. Flotilla organizers are thus expected to ask permission to sail to another destination, such as Cyprus or Turkey, and then divert their route once at sea.
Aridi, meanwhile, denied the existence of the Miriam, the ship that was supposedly organized by 50 Christian and Muslim Lebanese women along to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza. Aridi said this was a public relations campaign spearheaded by the women.
Despite Aridi's remarks, Palestinian sources said there would be a welcome ceremony for the Miriam at Gaza's port, regardless of whether the ship docks there physically.
"The voice and message [of the Miriam] has already arrived in Gaza, regardless of whether the ship arrived physically or not," one Palestinian source said.
Earlier Sunday, Lebanese sources involved in organizing the flotilla said that activists were on their way to the country to take part in the latest attempt to break Israel's maritime blockade on Gaza.
The participants, including several nuns, have yet to arrive in Lebanon from various European countries, but will be coming "very soon," the sources said.
The organizers added that they have not yet applied to the Lebanese Ministry of Transportation for permission to launch the convoy of ships. But representatives of the "Free Palestine" movement said they hope to get the paperwork filed by Monday.
"We believe this is a step that should only take a few hours," said one. "We want to believe that the Lebanese prime minister, Saad Hariri, and the transportation minister, Ghazi al-Aridi, will give us permission, and not submit to pressure from Israel and other countries."
The London-based Al-Hayat reported on Sunday that two ships were in advanced stages of preparation for sailing to Gaza. Lebanese sources told the paper they had received the authorities' approval for both the passenger list and the cargo.