Recordings Back Israel Claim on Spy Ship

AP ^ | July 9, 2003, 3:10 PM EDT | By PETER ENAV

[sakic]

JERUSALEM -- Newly declassified transcripts back up Israel's claim that its sinking of a U.S. spy ship during the 1967 Middle East war was an accident, a Florida judge who has been investigating the case for 16 years said Wednesday.

Israel has always maintained it thought the USS Liberty was an Egyptian military supply ship when it ordered its forces to attack on June 8, 1967, killing 34 American sailors and wounding 171. But critics charge Israel knew the ship was American. Questions about the case have long dogged U.S.-Israel relations.

[sakic]

Interesting

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[NavyCaptain]

The "attack" was not a 10 minute episode. It went on for hours. Sure, wouldn't you send helicopters there later and have them support your cover story.

[sakic]

What you're saying asks us to believe that the fellows in the helicopter said these words because they somehow knew that there was an American spy plane above them. That seems hard to believe.

If it is true why didn't the Israelis release this info long ago?

[Ancesthntr]

Please ping the Mideast List. This kind of objective news needs to get out, to combat the "Israel is always wrong" crowd.

[You Gotta Be Kidding Me]

We'll know the truth for certain the day we find out if there was a second gunman on the grassy knoll when JFK was shot, or when we learn what it really was that crashed in Roswell in 1947. Give me a break.

What say we just move along. "New" information is never new on issues like this.

Let's just ask God, when we die. Until then, don't waste time on this.

[zarf]

So, what color was the space alien that brought you on board the mothership?

[beelzepug]

I was in the service at the time this happened. Some of us were beginning to realize that the Tonkin Gulf incident was a lot of LBJ's B.S. and that this story about mistaken identity with the Liberty was more of the same. Israel took a calculated risk that they had enough pull in Washington to do this and get it smoothed over and they were right. A lot of people who wanted investigations had their efforts quashed, none too subtly. The very idea that even one American life was lost in this murderous attack still makes my blood boil after all these years. So, all you "Israel, right or wrong!" types can go ahead and flame me now. I can take it!

[dennisw]

Israel did release the tape and transcripts. People could always claim it was doctored. Now the NSA is releasing it too.

[gedeon3]

Your anger is understood. What people here would love to know is your position on the isssue of the so called palestinians and their 'claims'. In other words, are you another jew hater who hides behind the attack on the spy ship, or are you going to come out in the open?

[johnb838]

Does this mean that the Jooos in the WTC DIDN'T get a call to stay home on 911?

[skeeter]

What people here would love to know is your position on the isssue of the so called palestinians and their 'claims'. In other words, are you another jew hater who hides behind the attack on the spy ship, or are you going to come out in the open?

I'm a stone cold goyim zionist and I think the Isrealis were as guilty as sin here.

[Burkeman1]

The attack lasted for 75 minutes and was by both Israeli torpedo boats and Israeli jets. Mistaking a state of the art intelligence platform vessal for an Egyptian supply ship is laughable and always has been. I believe the sailors who served. Transcripts released now? Yeah right. Why weren't they released then? What a load.

[beelzepug]

My anger is over what I believe was an attack on a friend, by a friend, and which should have been exposed for what it was right then. To question whether I hate Jews or how I line up regarding Palestinians is a nice bit of spin that I am not about to fall for (thanks to Bill O'Reilly for something). It seems you have already decided I am a Jew hater since the choices I've been given are either to hide behind the attack or come out into the open with my hate. I tend to call 'em as I see 'em. I detest the suicide bombers. What sort of righteous cause indiscriminately kills women, children and old folks? At the same time, I also detest the bulldozing of peoples homes because someone in the neighborhood threw a rock at a soldier. If Jew and Palestinian cannot live together then they will most certainly die together in the end. Am I wrong about that?

[cinFLA]

Newly declassified transcripts back up Israel's claim that its sinking of a U.S. spy ship during the 1967 Middle East war was an accident, a Florida judge who has been investigating the case for 16 years said Wednesday.

Here we go again. This was hashed and rehashed yesterday. There was no sinking.

[sakic]

So, what color was the space alien that brought you on board the mothership?

Looked oddly like your mother. Not as much hair on the face though.

[sakic]

What did Israel hope to gain by bombing Americans?

[Burkeman1]

Who freakin knows with all the byzantine politics of that region? But two theories (and I stress that- theories) have been put forth. One is that the USS Liberty had picked up radio traffic that indicated Israel was about to launch an offensive into the Golan heights and didn't want this info relayed to Washington. The other is that the Liberty was 13 miles off shore from El Arish- where some have claimed that up to 1000 Eygptian POWS were machined gunned by Israeli troops and that the Liberty might have picked up incriminating radio traffic concerning this.

Regardless of the reason- the evidence is overwhelming that the attack was intentional and that there is no way they didn't know it was a US ship.