"Aid ship" updates (updated)

The media continues to claim that there is an Algerian ship headed to Gaza. Ha'aretz, the Jerusalem Post, UPI, and many others are making that claim.

They are all wrong.

It is beyond me why reporters parrot stories when they can look at the Algerian press and see that, from the outset, the ship was going to El Arish in Egypt. Algerian national radio also said that the ship was headed to El Arish.

This is why I try not to rely on secondary sources when I can avoid them. Reporters are lazy. Yesterday it took me about five minutes to track down the truth - and this is without knowing Arabic. Sheesh.

Meanwhile, the much-delayed Mariam is now supposedly going to sail this Sunday. However, it cannot go straight to Israel from Lebanon because the countries are in a state of war, and Cyprus has stated that they will not allow the ships to dock there.

I think that the IDF might be using female soldiers to handle that Mariam if it comes close.

UPDATE: Was the ship named after Mary in order to make intercepting Jews look bad? From the Tehran Times:

“After the Mavi Marmara incident, one of the women hailed Mary during our weekly meeting. Her exclamation came like a revelation, so we decided to call our ship Maryam (Mary in Arabic). The name was perfect for a vessel that comprised only women. Who could disparage the Virgin Mary, a recognized saint in most religions?” says Hajj.