REMEMBER THE LIBERTY
The deadly attack by Israel on the flotilla of six ships in international waters bringing humanitarian aid to Gazans suffering from Israel's Barbaric blockade of the 1.5 million Palestinians there, was not the first such unprovoked deadly attack by Israel against against a ship on the high seas.
Most Americans are simply not aware of the June 8, 1967, Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, monitoring events during the Israeli Arab Six Day War, twenty-five miles off the coast of Egypt. The two hour attack began in broad daylight when the Liberty was clearly visible as an American ship, and cost 34 killed, 171 wounded and severely damaged the Liberty.
Although both the US and Israeli investigations chalked up the attack as simply a deadly mistake, many victims of the attack and researchers believe the mistake explanation preposterous, concluding instead the attack was a deliberate attempt by Israel to prevent the electronics gathering Liberty from intercepting Israeli plans to attack Syria and grab the Golan Heights, both of which occurred shortly after the Liberty incident. Another theory attributes the attack as an attempt to blame Egypt thereby drawing the U.S. into the Six Day War.
Israel eventually paid families of the victims and the US government nearly 13 million dollars in compensation for the deaths, injuries and damage to the Liberty. This is a pittance to the nearly three billion in aid the US hands out to Israel yearly, primarily for military gear, some of which figured in this latest violent Israeli episode on the high seas. Regardless, the US has long closed the Liberty case without any significant repercussions to America's special ally in the region.
This time Israel will not so easily escape scrutiny for their actions. Turkey, Israel's strongest ally in the region, has vowed to continue support for the humanitarian relief effort in Gaza, going so far as to warn they will provide military escort for future such voyages. More importantly, Israel's shocking and violent outburst to has called attention to the two year old blockade of the million and a half folks penned up in the world's largest open air prison.
With the US supporting a full and transparent investigation of this latest attack, even the Israel Lobby, arguably world's most effective and influential, will have a tough time spinning away, not only the loss of the aid voyagers, but the larger issue of the endless humanitarian crime perpetrated against the hapless Gazans.
Most Americans are simply not aware of the June 8, 1967, Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, monitoring events during the Israeli Arab Six Day War, twenty-five miles off the coast of Egypt. The two hour attack began in broad daylight when the Liberty was clearly visible as an American ship, and cost 34 killed, 171 wounded and severely damaged the Liberty.
Although both the US and Israeli investigations chalked up the attack as simply a deadly mistake, many victims of the attack and researchers believe the mistake explanation preposterous, concluding instead the attack was a deliberate attempt by Israel to prevent the electronics gathering Liberty from intercepting Israeli plans to attack Syria and grab the Golan Heights, both of which occurred shortly after the Liberty incident. Another theory attributes the attack as an attempt to blame Egypt thereby drawing the U.S. into the Six Day War.
Israel eventually paid families of the victims and the US government nearly 13 million dollars in compensation for the deaths, injuries and damage to the Liberty. This is a pittance to the nearly three billion in aid the US hands out to Israel yearly, primarily for military gear, some of which figured in this latest violent Israeli episode on the high seas. Regardless, the US has long closed the Liberty case without any significant repercussions to America's special ally in the region.
This time Israel will not so easily escape scrutiny for their actions. Turkey, Israel's strongest ally in the region, has vowed to continue support for the humanitarian relief effort in Gaza, going so far as to warn they will provide military escort for future such voyages. More importantly, Israel's shocking and violent outburst to has called attention to the two year old blockade of the million and a half folks penned up in the world's largest open air prison.
With the US supporting a full and transparent investigation of this latest attack, even the Israel Lobby, arguably world's most effective and influential, will have a tough time spinning away, not only the loss of the aid voyagers, but the larger issue of the endless humanitarian crime perpetrated against the hapless Gazans.
posted by Walt Zlotow at 4:37 PM
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