[Nix 2]

I don't know, dude. Ask their officers in command.
As for being in international waters, you aren't paying attention. They were ordered into international waters but never went. They were smack in the middle of a war zone.

[rdb3]

They were smack in the middle of a war zone.

That's the one key question, IMHO. Just what were we doing so close to a conflict if we weren't involved?

No one has answered that question yet.

[aristeides]

Under American law, and under customary international law, the Liberty was in international waters. According to Bamford (p. 207), the ship was 17 1/2 miles from land. Are you going to say that because, under an expansive Israeli or other definition of what constitutes national waters, it was permissible to attack the ship? Or will you claim that, if the ship had withdrawn to whatever distance from shore you think was required (say 20 miles,) that the Israelis would not have attacked?