US lawmaker to honor USS Liberty crew, reviving scrutiny of 1967 Israeli attack
Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- US Representative Thomas Massie will honor the crew of the USS Liberty on the House floor, drawing renewed attention to the 1967 Israeli attack.
- Israel claimed the attack, which killed 34 US sailors and wounded 171, was a mistaken identity incident during the Six-Day War.
- Survivors and advocates dispute Israel's explanation, citing classified records and a hasty naval inquiry, and call for a full investigation.
US Representative Thomas Massie is set to deliver a speech on the House floor to honor the crew of the USS Liberty, bringing renewed attention to the 1967 Israeli attack on the vessel. The incident, which occurred on June 8, 1967, resulted in the deaths of at least 34 US sailors and wounded 171 others. The USS Liberty, a United States Navy technical research ship, was stationed in the Mediterranean Sea off Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula during the Six-Day War.
it wasn’t a tragic accident. It was a deliberate attack. They knew who we were. They tried to sink us. They wanted us out to either bring the Americans into the war by blaming the Arabs or we picked up some information about their war plans.
Israel has consistently maintained that the attack was a case of mistaken identity, with its naval forces allegedly believing the ship to be Egyptian. However, this explanation has been disputed by some survivors and researchers. They point to the fact that the crew had been flying the US flag and had even exchanged waves with low-flying Israeli aircraft earlier that morning, making their identity clear.
it wasn’t a tragic accident
Survivors and advocates lament that successive US governments have done little to uncover the truth behind the attack, which remains one of the deadliest assaults on the US Navy by its closest ally. Records related to the incident remain classified nearly 60 years later. Richard Brooks, the vessel's chief engineer, stated in a 2015 interview that "it wasn’t a tragic accident" but "a deliberate attack." He suggested Israel knew their identity and attempted to sink the ship to either draw the US into the war by blaming Arab forces or because the USS Liberty had intercepted information about Israel's war plans.
It was a deliberate attack. They knew who we were. They tried to sink us. They wanted us out to either bring the Americans into the war by blaming the Arabs or we picked up some information about their war plans.
Ernie Gallo, president of the USS Liberty Survivors Group, has dismissed Israel's "mistaken identity" claim as a lie and accused the US government of complicity for accepting this narrative. He continues to demand a full official inquiry into the events. The US Congress has never formally investigated the attack or formed a committee to examine the tragedy. Representative Massie has characterized the incident as an "unprovoked attack by Israel."
dismissed Israel's “mistaken identity” excuse as a lie and accused the US government of complicity for accepting the false narrative.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Al Jazeera in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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