[Israeli Airforce] Pilot who bombed 'Liberty' talks to 'Post

Jerusalem Post ^ | Oct. 10, 2003 | ARIEH O'SULLIVAN

[KantianBurke]

His religion is irrelevent. His blaming the victims act is not however. Mistake or not, he and his budies launched an attack on US forces that ended with many deaths. He could at least sound remorseful rather than strident.

[John H K]

What drives the conspiracy stuff (and the USS Liberty sailors who are convinced it was a deliberate attack) is the absolute terror that people have of randomness, and how uncomfortable it makes people feel that terrible things can happen without a larger meaning or purpose behind it.

People like to believe that when something terrible happens there was some great evil conspiracy behind it; it gives the loss more meaning and is strangely comforting.

Which is why the idea that the attack was simply a series of mistakes compounded by bad luck (as seems obvious to me) is so revolting to a lot of people.

[1rudeboy]

What Arab navy had a ship that would look like the Liberty?

That's an intersting question. Equally interesting is why you think a fighter-pilot would know the answer, before or after being ordered to attack, as is claimed.

[John H K]

I have trouble with pilots who can't distinguish antennae from cannon or missile launchers. What Arab navy had a ship that would look like the Liberty? I can’t explain Israel’s motives. Only they know what they were thinking, but it seems that the incident was more than a simple mistake.

Accurate identification of things from the air is just one of those things that seems theoretically easy, but in practice is nearly impossible.

The idea of telling "cannon" or "missle launchers" from "antennas" from an aircraft traveling 400+ mph, no matter how low it is, is simply laughably impossible.

There's an incredibly long history of egregious errors in identification by pilots dating back to WWI.

US Navy ships were attacked by US Navy and Air Corps aircraft in World War II. Destroyers were identified as Battleships, cargo vessels or tankers as aircraft carriers.

And you're upset that the IAF pilots weren't able to accurately view precise details of small pieces of equipment on the Liberty, or spend hours carefully studying Jane's Fighting Ships to determine what the Liberty was?

Heck, I remember a thread on a friendly fire incident last week where a USMC Vietnam vet FReeper recounted incidents where they were repeatedly attacked by USAF aircraft for extended periods of time, despite frantic use of flares, radio call-offs, etc.

This is just one of those things where people will refuse to "get it."

[flicker]

Anyone can read up on this incident if you try hard enough. This attack went on for 45 minutes and an American sub was close by, observing but ordered not to say anything then or since.

One consistant story of WHY was that the "Liberty" had discovered the Isrealis were killing 100s of Egyptain POWs on the beach and had to be silenced.

The U.S. was concerned that Russia was going to get into it and the Isreali airforce would have been history if we didn't start WWIII to save our investments.

[AzSteven]

Or is it just that the Jews were on the delivery end of this mistake and that makes it a conspiracy?

And how is the logic of this statement any different than saying 'Criticism of an African-American is automatically racist'? Expressing doubt about the official Liberty story is not anti-Semitism.

[steplock]

"There was a mistake. Mistakes happen. As far as I know, the mistake was of the USS Liberty being there in the first place," said Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yiftah Spector.


They are not saying it was THEIR mistake.

[AppyPappy]

Mistake or not, he and his budies launched an attack on US forces that ended with many deaths. He could at least sound remorseful rather than strident.

Rather like we did with the Brits and the Canadians? Hmmmm....?

[AppyPappy]

Why didn't the US government condemn Israel then?

[Incorrigible]

Pinging A+Bert

(Somebody had to do it!)

[struwwelpeter]

At your service!

[anotherview]

What everyone seems to be forgetting is that this was 36 years ago. Levi Eshkol, Israel's Prime Minister at the time, is dead. Golda Meir, his foreign minister, is dead. Moshe Dayan, his defense minister, is dead. They are all long dead.

I believe the attack on the Liberty was a horrible mistake from all I have read. Whether it was or it wasn't has to be weighed against the undeniable fact that Israel has been a loyal, constant ally of the United States ever since. President Nixon thought enough of Israel to do everything and anything he could short of sending troops to insure that Israel survived and, indeed, won the Yom Kippur war in 1973.

The United States once went to war with Japan, right? Now Japan is a staunch and trusted ally. Things change, times change, and 36 years of history since the Liberty should be enough to prove to anyone that Israel is a friend of the United States.

I'm sorry yonif chose to post this. The Liberty is used as an excuse by Israel bashers on a regular basis. Nothing new can come out of these discussions.

[wardaddy]

I said the guy was arrogant, not that he could not have made a mistake.

[yonif]

There was no conspiracy. Israeli commanders made a decision to attack everything that was of non-Israeli military value. They knew damn well Liberty was there.

Why didn't they sink it?

[yonif]

What Arab navy had a ship that would look like the Liberty?

In 1967, Egypt was at war with Israel. The territory from where the Liberty was at was being bombarded. The Liberty was thought to be the Egyptian ship doing that. Israel was told no US ships were in the area.

[yonif]

I'm sorry yonif chose to post this. The Liberty is used as an excuse by Israel bashers on a regular basis. Nothing new can come out of these discussions.

I simply posted this because it was a first, I have ever read, of a former pilot who took part in that mistaken attack giving an interview.

[anotherview]

I understand the interest in the article. I just don't like the unintended consequences on this board. We now have a bash-Sharon piece from Ha'aretz posted too.

[yonif]

Really? Can you provide the link?

[Romulus]

Why didn't they sink it?

"There was a mistake. Mistakes happen."