Israels involvement in 1967 USS Liberty incident remains unclear to US authorities

US Representative Thomas Massie to Honor USS Liberty Crew on House Floor

On June 8, 1967, at least 34 US sailors were killed and 171 others were wounded in an Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, a United States Navy technical research ship stationed in the Mediterranean Sea off Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. The incident occurred during the 1967 war, when Israel captured Egypt’s Sinai, Gaza, and the West Bank.

According to reports, Israeli air and naval forces bombarded the intelligence-gathering vessel in international waters near the Sinai Peninsula. The assault began with Israeli jets attacking the ship, striking its deck with anti-personnel weapons and armour-piercing bullets. This was followed by a devastating strike from Israeli torpedo boats that blew a massive hole in the ship’s starboard side, instantly killing 25 men in the lower research spaces.

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. Israel has maintained that the strike was a tragic error, claiming exhausted pilots mistook the US naval vessel for an Egyptian warship.

Records related to the attack remain classified, according to survivors and advocates. A 2015 interview with Richard Brooks, chief engineer on the vessel, stated that “it wasn’t a tragic accident”. Instead, he claimed that Israel deliberately attacked the ship, knowing its identity.

Representative Massie has announced plans to deliver a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives to honor and memorialize the crew of the USS Liberty. Several survivors are expected to attend his speech as guests in the congressional gallery. The incident remains a topic of controversy, with some questioning Israel’s version of events and others calling for a full official inquiry.

The US Congress has not formally questioned the attack or formed a committee to investigate the tragedy. However, Representative Massie’s actions have brought renewed attention to the incident, which is considered one of the deadliest attacks on the US Navy by its closest ally, Israel.

Source: Al Jazeera