What I don't understand is the motives of the Israelis in that attack.
Did they think it was a ship with fake ID markers on it? What was the official response of the Kenesset? I wonder if something more sinister was going on, like maybe we intercepted secret broadcasts of info about the Israeli nuclear program. My guess is we will never know.
Have the Israeli's even offered compensation for the victims?
Israel, the CIA and NSA all held the same position on the incident; that it was a case of mistaken identity and was entirely due to error. Israel contends that it was assured by the United States that no U.S. ships were in the area, and that its air and naval forces wrongly identified the Liberty at various stages as either a Russian intelligence ship that was providing information to the Arabs, or as the Egyptian vessel El Quseir.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Liberty_incident
Originally posted by AThousandYoungI tend to take the word of the US sailors involved rather than Israel, the CIA and the NSA. The Liberty, has mentioned, was flying a large US flag and was clearly marked as a US vessel. Furthermore, it was in international waters when it was attacked by planes and then raked at close range by Israeli patrol boats. Some of the US government's files regarding the Liberty remain classified to this day. The speculation is that the Israelis, while publicly requesting a ceasefire, were actually preparing to attack the Golan Heights and that the Liberty was well situated to have overheard the plans for the attack. The Liberty was attacked and then the Israelis did strike in force into the Golan. The whole story is not yet known due to government secrecy, but I the Israeli version is implausible in the extreme.
[b]Israel, the CIA and NSA all held the same position on the incident; that it was a case of mistaken identity and was entirely due to error. Israel contends that it was assured by the United States that no U.S. ships were in the area, and that its air and naval forces wrongly identified the Liberty at various stages as either a Russian intelligence s ...[text shortened]... s the Egyptian vessel El Quseir.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Liberty_incident[/b]
Yes it's always been an eye opener to study the USS Liberty case. Follow that up with the Israeli shooting down of a civilian jet liner (El Al ?) in 1973 that had citizens from all over the world on it (including Americans), and we get a clear picture of Israel's true nature. Israel is not a friend of America, Israel is looking out for number one and could care less.
But in their situation, can you blame them for being pragmatic and Machievellian? They are fighting for survival while surrounded by hostility. I think Israel has done a remarkable job of playing both sides. I'd rather live in Israel than arab-land, at any rate.
Originally posted by no1marauderThere was probaby a Palestinian immigrant working in engineering or something....
From a website created by survivors and families of those lost on the USS Liberty:
SYNOPSIS OF OUR STORY
On June 8, 1967, the Israeli Defense Forces murdered 34 Americans on the high seas (31 sailors, 2 marines, and a NSA civilian). Out of a total compliment of 294 men, 70% of the crew became casualties as 172 were wounded in addition to the 3 ...[text shortened]... elating to the attack on the USS Liberty to be declassified. Isn't it about time this was done?