Saturday marks the 46th anniversary of the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, a Naval spy ship in the Mediterranean Sea. The attack killed 34 American crew members and wounded 171 others.
The incident came during the Six-Day War of 1967, during which Israeli occupied large chunks of territory from its Arab neighbors. The attack on the USS Liberty was America’s only involvement in the conflict.
The attack began with two Israeli Mirage III fighter jets attacking the ship, claiming they assumed the antenna was a gun, and began attacking the US ship with rockets. The attacks escalated despite the ship being unable to return fire in any form, with torpedoes hitting the ship and napalm bombs setting it ablaze.
The immediate US response was to deploy warplanes against Egypt on the assumption that they might conceivably have been the attackers. Though never confirmed, some reports have persisted that the planes had nuclear weapons on board, though they were thankfully recalled at the last moment when it was revealed that it was an Israeli attack.
Israel claimed that they assumed the USS Liberty was an Egyptian destroyer, despite it flying a US flag and having clearly identified Latin alphabet letters all over it. The US rejected the claim but accepted an Israeli apology, along with a $6 million payment made in 1980 to cover a fraction of the repair costs for almost destroying the ship.
Israel’s own investigations into the matter throw their own story into doubt, with a 1982 IDF History Department Report (pdf) noting that the Israeli Navy knew hours before the attack that the ship was from the US Navy, and then goes on to speculate that the ground controllers directing the attack were just never told about this. It then brushed off the whole incident as “an innocent mistake.”
There were some limited US military inquiries into the matter but nothing in the way of Congressional investigations, and 46 years later survivors of the attack are still pressing Congress on the incident, saying it’s high time they got around to actually probing unprovoked attacks on a US Navy ship in international waters.
The survivors noted the incongruence between the treatment of the USS Liberty attack and the September 11, 2012 Benghazi consulate attack, saying it made no sense that Congress has dedicated months to that attack while refusing even nominal hearings on the USS Liberty, an attack which had many, many more casualties.
USS Liberty Veterans Association
USS Liberty Memorial
Zionist entity is no mans friends.., the idea (zionism) however is looking for a safe place to root and to dominate the alike minded system. Zion=sanctuary.
Thanks for pointing this out. They're not forgotten.
Why did Israel (and USA !) try to sink a naval vessel of its benefactor and ally?
Most likely because 'Liberty's' intercepts flatly contradicted Israel's claim, made at the war's beginning on 5 June, that Egypt had attacked Israel, and that Israel's massive air assault on three Arab nations was in retaliation. In fact, Israel began the war by a devastating, Pearl-Harbor style surprise attack that caught the Arabs in bed and destroyed their entire air forces.
So Jason Ditz has buried them in lie to make forgotten the aim of their death.
Oh, there it is…the truth of the matter; which should have been in the original article itself. The author indeed seems to have a disregard for objectivity and the truth. This is just one of many examples.
The arab blocade was an act of war-cut off another countries oil, and that country dies.Nasser said his misiion was to destroy Israel-so Egypt got heir butts kicked
There are reasons the story is obscure to the general public. It is an awkward uncomfortable one. It doesn't fit into any common matrix except the "friendly fire" one. And we don't even like friendly fire stories. People want their soldiers to die gloriously while killing enemies. The eulogies and ceremonies are a lot more glamorous and "meaningful" than those for friendly fire casualties. We want to bury accidents quickly and forget about them. Meanwhile Americans entranced by the mythology of the founding of Israel and its quick victory in the '67 war could not believe the attack was anything other than friendly fire, to be forgotten quickly. The few Americans who knew there was a dark side to Israel also couldn't believe that they would attack their main ally and milk cow. Americans who were anti war had empathy for dying Vietnamese and for dying GI draftees, but less for American spies. Meanwhile, the poor schnooks on the ship itself had been pre-selected for their ability to keep secrets. They were so loyal that many even stayed in the Navy quietly seeking answers and justice. Only in the latter years of their lives are some speaking out. The truth, that Israel could be so sinister as to try to sink their ally's spy ship after it recorded some of their dirty secrets, hoping to blame it on the Egyptians, is too ghastly for many people to contemplate.
When you are fighting a war for survival, and a third party sits there spying-you act in self defense-unfortunate for the sailors on th eLiberty
j. moldovan,
By your reasoning, I should guess also that the reason that Israel practices apartheid and steals land off of innocent Palestinians is because they are "fighting a war for survival".
"The truth, that Israel could be so sinister as to try to sink their ally's spy ship after it recorded some of their dirty secrets, hoping to blame it on the Egyptians, is too ghastly for many people to contemplate." No, it's not. Israel is capable of that and more.
I am not surprised that Jason Ditz does sell this incident as mistake and ignores ANY real important issue written even in the source of himself.
While I clearly remember me having read, that the Israeli pilots told their commanders during the attack, that it is an US ship, and tried to refuse bombing, but got the angry urgent definitive order " I want this ship blown to the ground" or something like this.
The fighter jets also – as far I remember – had no Israeli signs on it. In order to cover the attacker.
Finally the typical staged event to create a reason to spark US military engagement in the war.
What Ditz also did "forget" or not read – which can be found in the source he gave: http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig/margolis12.html:
– "a rescue mission by US Sixth Fleet carrier aircraft was mysteriously aborted on orders from the White House."
– US Navy EC-121 intelligence aircraft was flying high overhead the 'Liberty,' electronically recorded the attack. The US aircraft crew provides evidence that the Israeli pilots knew full well that they were attacking a US Navy ship flying the American flag.
– Why did Israel try to sink a naval vessel of its benefactor and ally? Most likely because 'Liberty's' intercepts flatly contradicted Israel's claim, made at the war's beginning on 5 June, that Egypt had attacked Israel, and that Israel's massive air assault on three Arab nations was in retaliation. In fact, Israel began the war by a devastating, Pearl-Harbor style surprise attack that caught the Arabs in bed and destroyed their entire air forces.
–
The' mistake' was corrected on 911, when the Mossad kept quiet about the fact they were surveilling Atta and the others.
I don't know what your beef with Ditz is, but you tend to misunderstand the articles. The note isn't supposed to be a complete history of events but just a summary. And Ditz isn't selling the attack as a mistake, he's saying the israelis brushed it off as "an innocent mistake."
Thanks for the additional info though.
Ditz honey bunch–USS liberty attack was a US/Israel affair, to sink the ship and blame Egypt. Wake up fool! Where from did Antiwar dig you up from?
other better articles suggest israel was preparing to shift army units from west to east. they feared if liberty picked up info russians would intercept and warn arabs. at least 1 israeli pilot refused to fire on ship, and was disciplined later for refusing.
The war was quickly over a very short time later. Syria accepted the Israeli proposed cease fire and then was attacked by Israeli forces after the Syrians forceds stood down. The Israeli forcces had a preplanned attack on the golan heights which was developed by an Israeli spy high in the 'syrian Government. The man was hanged shortly after his dirty work as a spy became knowlege to the Syrian gocvernment.
Israel is the master of quick back stab and then hide usually behind the protection of the US military.
There is no standard that they can be counted on to observe and thery clearly murdered the crew of the USS Liberty during a war of aggression started by Israel. In the diary of the second prime minister of Israel Mohe Sharate there was discussion as early as 1953 to purchase the land of the West Bank. That was rejected and a plan to start a war. The 1967 war was a case of gereat achiement not because the Israeli were all that good but a case of pure stupidity on the part of the leader of Egypt. The leader nasseu actually was the one who caused most of the problems with his wild calls of bad information and pure stupid demands on ther part of the other nation which had a defense agreement with Egypt. The war last only a few day and Isrell would have had a major problem if they did not get into a quick settlement. In 1973 Israel actually was attacked and if the USA did not supply and provide major information the nation of Israel would be gone. 1973 was the lsast time Israel has actually been in a conflict with regular military forces. In 2996 Israel invaded Lebanon has it had done many fime and it was defeated badly by the Hezerboll. Hezerboll is a militia group and not an official army. Today the imported rebels in syria are being badly defedated by syrian military and the Hezeboll. The USS Liberty represent the worse of Israel. The USS Liberty represent what any sane person should expect by Israel.
It looks like US government sent USS Liberty in harms way just to cover up Israeli war crime – starting unprovoked war of agression. As it use to be said "They hate us for our liberty!". Poor guys aboard!
Youtube Dead in the Water (BBC).